The Chelsea striker faces the prospect of his one-match ban for being dismissed at White Hart Lane being extended to four if he is found guilty of violent conduct for gouging the face of Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen.
Torres was dismissed in the 82nd minute of an enthralling match on Saturday for his second yellow card, after an aerial clash with Vertonghen. The pair had been going hammer-and-tongs all afternoon, and the Spaniard received his initial caution in the 50th minute after tripping Vertonghen, then digging his fingernails into the face and neck of the Belgian defender.
The caution appeared to be just for the trip. If this is confirmed in the match report of referee Mike Dean today the FA will ask the official if he saw the gouging incident.
If he says he did not a copy will be sent not to the referee, which has previously been the case, but to an independent panel which will be asked if the incident warrants a red card.
If they agree Torres will be given a three-match ban on top of his one-match suspension. This would rule Torres out of league matches against Norwich City, Cardiff City, Manchester City and the Capital One Cup tie with Woolwich.
This could be more of a loss than would have been imagined a week ago as there was no doubting the renewed sharpness in Torres’s play on Saturday, as he showed a return to the sort of menace that prompted Chelsea to pay Liverpool £50 million for his services.
His return to form was mirrored by a Chelsea side that came back strongly in the second half after being thoroughly outplayed by a Spurs side who showed they no longer miss Gareth Bale, one of several lessons hammered home here.