Chelsea’s heated draw against a 10-man Nottingham Forest dealt a double whammy for Blues boss Enzo Maresca.
Two of his key players are now out of action for their daunting visit to Premier League leaders Liverpool after the international break. Despite only participating in seven league games, feisty Chelsea have already had two of their squad members accumulate five yellow cards.
A single-match suspension is the penalty for amassing five yellows up to and including matchweek 19. Both Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella were on thin ice heading into the Forest face-off.
They seemed set for a clean getaway with 78 minutes already ticked off and no warnings. However, Cucurella found himself at the heart of a full-blown brawl with the game hanging in the balance after Forest star James Ward-Prowse had already been dismissed for two yellow cards.
The Spanish fullback was pushed into his own manager Maresca by opponent Neco Williams and fellow Chelsea defender Levi Colwill led the protests, storming over to the sideline to confront Williams, which sparked a large group of players and coaches to join the fracas, reports the Express.
Cucurella was baffled when he stood up to find that referee Chris Kavanagh had flashed a yellow card, despite him being on the receiving end of a push from Williams. The Welsh fullback and Colwill also received bookings, sealing Cucurella’s suspension.
Not long after, Fofana got slapped with a yellow for dragging down substitute Jota Silva as he dashed past the Chelsea backline. The French defender’s tactical trip landed him in hot water and now Chelsea’s gaffer is left to scratch his head over a tough pickle before they travel to Anfield.
Chelsea’s number one, Robert Sanchez, literally saved the day with last-minute heroics between the sticks. And he discussed plans to get the team talking about steering clear of silly fouls in future encounters.
A couple of players are going to miss games because of it, but we need to speak about it in the changing room,” insisted Sanchez. “We deserved more and created chances but we didn’t score the goal to get the points.”
He added: “Massive players but it was unlucky. They need to stop talking to the officials. We have some very good players to come in.”
Maresca – whose team will now face a £25,000 fine for their card-happy conduct – said: “I said many times it is something we need to improve. I like the team the way they are fighting and become a team.”
