Shanghai SIPG and Guangzhou R&F were both reduced to 10 men after a fight broke out in their 1-1 draw on Sunday that left Guangzhou Evergrande four points clear at the top of the Chinese Super League.
Both sides were a man down for the entire second half after Guangzhou’s Li Tixiang and Shanghai’s Fu Huan were sent off after a brawl following second-placed SIPG’s equaliser just before the break.
Play was disrupted for more than seven minutes as Chen Zhizhao pushed over SIPG’s former Chelsea playmaker Oscar after the Brazilian set up compatriot Hulk to score Shanghai’s equaliser.
Hulk celebrates his goal.
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Eran Zahavi had earlier given R&F the lead following a howler by SIPG goalkeeper Yan Junling.
As the game descended into chaos, referee Zhou Gang handed Li and Fu a red card each for their behaviour in the ensuing melee and Andre Villas-Boas’s Shanghai side were unable to pick up the win they needed to keep pace with Evergrande.
