The ball went out of play and Hazard tried to get the ball back from under the ball boy who had fallen on top of it by kicking it out of his grasp.
His over-eager desire to get the ball back though earned him both a red card and the attention of South Wales Police who are looking into the matter.
“The boy put his whole body onto the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball and I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologise,” Hazard told Chelsea TV after the match.
“They both recognise they made a mistake,” Blues boss Rafa Benitez added. “The boy was apologising for time-wasting. Hazard was frustrated and tried to get the ball. He was kicking the ball and getting the ball.”
Hazard apologised to the young ball boy after the match, who was welcomed in to the Chelsea dressing room where he met Frank Lampard and John Terry. The ball boy, who is under 18 years of age, and his father have decided not to press charges.
Chelsea exited the Capital One Cup to tee up a final showdown between Swansea and League Two’s Bradford, who overcame Aston Villa in the other semi.
Photo: Getty.
