A Mumbai versus Delhi match is never immune to an outbreak of fisticuffs, whatever the sport, but what happened at the Mumbai Football Arena on Friday perhaps stretched it a wee bit. Mumbai were comfortably leading the game 2-0 with hardly any time left before the halftime whistle, when their midfielder Sehnaj Singh got embroiled in an argument with Delhi counterpart Claudio Matias over a foul.

The argument escalated into a proper brawl as fists and headbutts were exchanged, more players got involved, and the Mumbai Football Arena began to resemble a rugby field. There were also players from both teams trying calm their teammates down but nothing could stop referee Rahul Kumar Gupta from brandishing a straight red card for both Singh and Matias.

Singh, to his credit, walked straight off the pitch after receiving the red but Matias was so incensed with the outcome that he chased the Indian down the tunnel and again tried to butt him. The referee and other players had to again run and separate the two, even as a section of vocal Mumbai supporters got involved in the chaos.

That the incident would tarnish what turned out to be a splendid win for Mumbai on their home ground was a real shame. The Delhi Dynamos are nowhere close to being the biggest scalp of this Indian Super League season after coming into the match on a five-match losing run. But a 4-0 victory would nonetheless have done wonders to the confidence of Alexandre Guimaraes’s men, who notched up their second win on the trot for the first time this season.

Only one of Mumbai’s four goals on the night came from open play but the hosts, unlike their opponents, made the most of their chances. Mumbai skipper Lucian Goian smashed in the rebound after Achille Emana’s poor penalty kick hit the post. Everton Santos then headed in a delightful goal off Emana’s free kick from near the corner flag to make it two before half time.

Santos almost made it two for himself minutes into the second half but his header was blocked off the line, only for Thiago dos Santos to net the rebound. Santos’s fellow striker Balwant Singh then got his name onto the scoresheet as Delhi’s dozing defence allowed him to receive a cross from midfield and a mistimed shot was still enough to beat Arnab Das Sarma, who had a horrid night between the sticks.

The win propped Mumbai up to second in the table with 13 points from eight matches, behind runaway leaders Chennaiyin FC. However, FC Goa in third with 12 points have played two matches fewer than Mumbai. Bengaluru FC and FC Pune City in third and fourth, also with 12 points, also have a game in hand. Delhi, meanwhile, continue to languish at the bottom with six defeats from seven matches.