According to Guinness World Records, the football team that holds the record for the most yellow cards in a Premier League match is Tottenham Hotspur. On May 2, 2016, Spurs travelled to Stamford Bridge knowing that they needed to beat Chelsea, and win their two remaining matches of the season, against Southampton and Newcastle United, to have any chance of preventing Leicester City from becoming champions of England for the first time in their history.
Despite having failed to beat the Blues on any of their last 27 visits to Stamford Bridge, Spurs took a 2-0 lead, courtesy of goals from strikers Harry Kane, after 35 minutes, and Son Heung-min, on the stroke of half-time. However, in a feisty, ill-tempered first half, there was still time for referee Mark Clattenberg to book Danny Rose, after a melee on the touchline, and the Tottenham left-back joined teammates Kyle Walker and Jan Vertonghen as one of three Spurs’ players cautioned before the break.
Early in the second half, they were joined by midfielder Erik Lamela, who was booked for a late, two-footed tackle after 51 minutes. Seven minutes later, Gary Cahill pulled a goal back for Chelsea, which did little to improve the visitors’ demeanour. Christian Eriksen become the fifth Spurs’ player cautioned, for a bad foul after 70 minutes and, when substitute Eden Hazard curled in an equalising goal after 83 minutes, frustration boiled over. Eric Dier was lucky to avoid a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Hazard, while Harry Kane, Mousa Dembélé – who later received a six-match suspension for an earlier eye-gouging incident, unseen by the referee – and Ryan Mason were all booked deep into injury time.