The Football Association looks certain to impose severe punishments on Chelsea and Wimbledon following a mass brawl after the final whistle in the players' tunnel, during which the Wimbledon manager Egil Olsen was allegedly pinned against a wall and then dumped on the ground.

The exact details of what occurred as the Chelsea and Wimbledon players walked off the pitch are hazy, because immediately after the incident the referee Peter Jones declared the tunnel a no-go area. Club officials then went to great lengths to play down the events. It appears between 16 and 22 players were involved in the ugly scrap, which was sparked when Kenny Cunningham, who minutes earlier had been rowing head to head with Chelsea's Dennis Wise on the pitch, was doused with Lucozade.

The brawl overshadowed a tough but ultimately thrilling game. Okay, relegation-threatened Wimbledon had overdosed on frustration after seeing a 1-0 lead crumble to a 3-1 defeat in 17 minutes. Yes, Chelsea had overcome the jinx of taking just three wins from Wimbledon's previous 12 visits. But this was road-rage violence perpetrated by players prizing petty revenge over self-discipline.

Once Gustavo Poyet's audacious 20-yard volley had brought Chelsea level, Zola produced a trademark jink to feed Morris, whose cross was headed home by George Weah. Morris added a smart finish from the edge of the area. But then football gave way to all-in wrestling.

Chelsea: De Goey, Lambourde, Thome, Leboeuf, Harley, Petrescu (Zola 63), Deschamps (Flo 71), Wise, Poyet, Sutton (Morris 71), Weah. Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Clement. Goals: Poyet 79, Weah 79, Morris 90.

Wimbledon: Sullivan, Cunningham, Andersen, Hreidarsson, Kimble, Willmott, Earle (Francis 84), Euell, Cort, Lund, Andresen (Ardley 68). Subs Not Used: Heald, Leaburn, Badir. Booked: Lund, Andersen. Goals: Lund 73.

Referee: P Jones (Loughborough).