Richarlison gets instantly KO’d as unlucky Tottenham star rushes to get involved in brawl with West Ham ace Kudus

RICHARLISON instantly found himself in the thick of the action as he returned from injury on Saturday afternoon.

The Brazilian, 27, rose from the bench to replace Dominic Solanke in the 81st minute of Tottenham’s clash with West Ham.

His last appearance had come in his side’s 4-0 win over Everton on August 24, having subsequently suffered with a calf issue.

Moments after the forward’s introduction, his team-mate Micky van de Ven found himself in an altercation with Mohammed Kudus.

Having taken exception to the Ghanaian’s challenge, Van de Ven confronted the West Ham star.

Kudus quickly lost his cool, striking the Dutchman in the face.

Seeing his team-mate go down, Richarlison instantly rushed over to get involved.

As he reached Kudus, however, the Hammers winger turned round, inadvertently – and brutally – catching his opponent in the face.

Richarlison was knocked to the ground, lying in a heap next to Van de Ven.

Kudus’ meltdown wasn’t over, as he went on to strike Pape Matar Sarr in the face too.

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Incredibly, referee Andy Madley initially only showed Kudus a yellow card, while also booking Van de Ven.

But following a VAR check, the 24-year-old Hammers winger was given his marching orders.

In the first-half, Kudus had given West Ham the lead in the London derby.

The Hammers star swept Jarrod Bowen’s 18th-minute centre beyond Guglielmo Vicario to spark pandemonium among the visiting fans.

In-form Dejan Kulusevski levelled for Spurs on 36 minutes, before a seven-minute blitz prior to the hour mark saw Ange Postecoglou’s side take a commanding lead.

Yves Bissouma gave Tottenham the lead on 52 minutes, before Alphonse Areola inadvertently turned in Son Heung-min’s shot for a third.

The South Korean then marked his return from injury with a goal of his own, beating Jean-Clair Todibo before rifling past Areola.

Tottenham nearly made it five following Kudus’ red card, but in the end settled for a dominant 4-1 victory over their London rivals.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk