10 Most Controversial Premier League Moments
4. When Lee Bowyer And Kieron Dyer Collide
It’s relatively common to see a case of handbags at dawn between two or more opposing players, but much less so in the case of footballers who are meant to be fighting for the same cause.
Nothing went right for Newcastle United on a day when they had a player sent off and were three goals down at home to Aston Villa in April 2005. In fact, little had gone right all season, with Sir Bobby Robson jettisoned unceremoniously earlier in the term and replaced by Graeme Souness.
A young, vibrant side built by Robson was coming apart at the seams and it finally fell to pieces when a poor pass prompted a full-scale war between team-mates Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer.
Bowyer accused Dyer of ignoring him on the pitch in favour of passing to others, to which Dyer suggested he did so because it was his firm belief that Bowyer was basically s***.
Suddenly, all hell broke loose, with punches exchanged and black-and-white jerseys ripped to shreds. Villa star Gareth Barry and Magpies full-back Stephen Carr had to pull the pair apart before someone lost an ego.
In the dressing room, fuming boss Souness offered to fight both at the same time, to which they wisely declined. A public apology followed, but the damage had been done.