Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele has accepted an FA violent conduct charge for appearing to gouge Diego Costa's eye in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea.
The match between the two London rivals ended level after a spectacular Eden Hazard goal, with Spurs originally leading 2-0 before Chelsea fought back to equalise.
And after the equaliser, a match already littered with physical confrontations threatened to spill over, as Tottenham ended the game with nine yellow cards, a Premier League first.
Following the tense encounter, in which Dembele appeared to gouge Costa's eye during a mass confrontation between the sides, the FA charged the Tottenham midfielder on Wednesday, indicating that his actions required sterner punishment than a three-match ban for violent conduct.
And on Friday Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino confirmed that the Belgium international would accept the charge in a media conference, saying of the incident: "We cannot justify it, but we can understand".
.... - Goal