All change at Stamford Bridge but drama and controversy not gone away

Emotions spilled over after Tottenham's late equaliser in a 2-2 draw

HOTTING UP: Antonio Conte of Tottenham Hotspur and Thomas Tuchel of Chelsea square up to each other after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of Tottenham Hotspur scores a goal to make it 1-1. Pic: Robin Jones/Getty Images)

Everything has changed at Stamford Bridge since Roman Abramovich left; and yet everything remains the same.

The place is still full of fire and controversy, there are still furious clashes in the dugout, managers being sent off after ugly confrontations and a constant sense of intensity in the air.

They are still scoring dramatic goals, too, still letting in crazy late ones as well, and there's still a manager running down the touchline to celebrate every now and then.

Watching Thomas Tuchel sprint the length of the pitch, skipping, jumping and punching the air to celebrate Reece James' goal to make it 2-1 against Tottenham could have been Jose Mourinho all those years ago if you rubbed your eyes too hard.

But when Spurs came up with a late, late equaliser through Harry Kane from an injury-time corner, Chelsea's old weaknesses were there for everyone to see, along with an ugly side that goes with it (and one that Mourinho would recognise too).

When Antonio Conte, another fiery former Chelsea manager of course, shook off Tuchel's hand at the final whistle and looked to prefer a fight, that nasty side was all too visible with both managers handed a red card.

Referee Anthony Taylor had a part to play in it, of course, but this is what Stamford Bridge has been made of over the years and it isn't new.

So although Chelsea are beginning a new era, under new owners, with new money and new signings, we can probably expect the same drama in season 2022-23 as we've always had.

Todd Boehly, who led an American consortium to buy the club in May, must know there is very little wriggle room when it comes to what fans at Stamford Bridge expect him to deliver over the coming years.

They saw 21 trophies arrive in west London under Abramovich, from Premier Leagues to Champions Leagues, and see no reason to lower the bar even though the Russian billionaire is gone.

New owners are inevitably judged initially by their ambition in the market and so far the signs for Chelsea are good. The squad still lacks an out-and-out striker, especially since selling Timo Werner back to RB Leipzig, but Raheem Sterling did a decent job of filling the gap, his energy and movement matching that of Kante behind him.

Marc Cucurella, a £63m investment from Brighton, also showed positive signs on his full debut, asked to play at left wing-back in a back five and providing an assist with an excellent corner.

But it was opening goalscorer Kalidou Kloulibaly who most caught the eye, playing alongside Thiago Silva in a highly experienced defence - until Tottenham's late, late equaliser.

We knew from his time at Napoli that he could defend, but his thunderous volley from Cucurella's set-piece corner to the edge of the box suggests he has just as much to offer at the other end of the field.

Chelsea, of course, have lost Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid this summer, but Koulibaly looks like an upgrade. So, what a way to announce his arrival.

It was a moment of controversy in the second half which really showed that the old Chelsea hasn't died, however, whether that's good or bad.

Tottenham's equaliser was controversial, with Pierre Hojbjerg's long-distance shot coming shortly after Kai Havertz had been clearly brought down by Bentacour - but referee Anthony Taylor waved play on.

Apparently, VAR couldn't look back at the incident, too many phases of play had transpired before Spurs struck, and it led to pandemonium at the Bridge.

Fans fumed, players screamed, and Tuchel and his opposite number Antonio Conte had to be kept apart.

There is fire in the belly still at Chelsea, no doubt about it. So when the home team won the ball back and Sterling squared for James to score, the place erupted.

The only problem was that Tottenham weren't finished. They are made of new stuff this season - Conte has instilled a 'bit of Chelsea' into their mentality. So Kane's late header led to all kinds of shenanigans at the end.

It's a long time since Spurs actually won at Stamford Bridge but that goal was still a marker and underlines Chelsea are not yet the finished product. This could turn out to be quite some rivalry over the next few years - and don't expect it to be pretty.