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Forward Joao Felix was disqualified from playing when Chelsea lost 1-2 on Fulham's field in the 7th round of the English Premier League on January 12th.
Felix was given the main role by coach Graham Potter only a day after completing the transfer to Chelsea on a six-month loan deal worth $12 million from Atletico. However, the Portuguese forward had a disastrous debut. In the 57th minute, he mishandled the ball from Kalidou Koulibaly's pass and kicked Tete straight in the groin, as the Fulham player contested for the ball in the middle of the field. The Fulham players immediately surrounded and demanded a severe penalty from referee David Coote.
Then, Coote ordered the teams to separate and immediately gave Felix a red card. The Portuguese forward looked disappointed, said a few words to Willian and Carlos Vinicius from Fulham, and then left the field. He is the first Chelsea player to be disqualified from playing in his debut match in the English Premier League. If we include all clubs, the closest player to have a similar experience is Federico Fazio of Tottenham in the match against Man City in October 2014.
After the match, coach Graham Potter said that Felix did not intend to harm the opponent, but acknowledged that his player was high-legged and understood the decision of the referee. He added: "Felix is still young, a top player, and will learn a lot. These are basic soccer skills that Chelsea needs to improve on and can do better."
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In the 56 minutes on the field, Felix touched the ball 40 times, passed accurately 16 times with a 76% rate, and created one dangerous opportunity. The 23-year-old forward even led the match in many statistics, with six shots, four on target, two successful dribbles, and four fouls committed. He will miss the next three Chelsea games - against Crystal Palace on January 15th, Liverpool on January 21st, and the rematch against Fulham on February 3rd. He can return from the derby match against West Ham on February 11th
After the match, coach Graham Potter said that Felix did not intend to harm the opponent, but acknowledged that his player was high-legged and understood the decision of the referee. He added: "Felix is still young, a top player, and will learn a lot. These are basic soccer skills that Chelsea needs to improve on and can do better."
In the 56 minutes on the field, Felix touched the ball 40 times, passed accurately 16 times with a 76% rate, and created one dangerous opportunity. The 23-year-old forward even led the match in many statistics, with six shots, four on target, two successful dribbles, and four fouls committed. He will miss the next three Chelsea games - against Crystal Palace on January 15th, Liverpool on January 21st, and the rematch against Fulham on February 3rd. He can return from the derby match against West Ham in February 11thBefore the match, Fulham was in seventh place while Chelsea was in tenth.
This is the first time that Fulham is above Chelsea in the top league of England before a direct confrontation in August 1965. The home team also pressured the field when Carlos Vinicius hit the post in the 8th minute. Then, the Brazilian forward collided with Denis Zakaria and fell in Chelsea's penalty area, but the referee and VAR did not award the hosts a penalty. In the 23rd minute, De-Cordova Reid scored in the penalty area.
Two minutes later, Willian dribbled across the goal and hit Kalidou Koulibaly's foot to change direction, making goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga unable to block it. Willian is the 26th player to score for Chelsea in the English Premier League, after having worn the club's jersey in the league. Chelsea is the club with the most former players scoring against them in the league.
In the second half, from a free-kick on the left, Mason Mount shot close to the corner and Koulibaly headed in the equalizer. Bernd Leno pushed the ball away, but the goal-line technology confirmed that the ball had crossed the line.
After Felix was expelled, Chelsea lost spirit and Vinicius sealed the 2-1 victory in the 73rd minute.
This is Chelsea's fourth consecutive loss in all competitions, with the two recent losses being 0-1 against Manchester City in the English Premier League, 0-4 in the FA Cup, and being held to a 1-1 draw by newly promoted Nottingham Forest. The last time Chelsea won three points was in the 2-0 win against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on December 28. But before that, they also lost four consecutive games, losing to Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Arsenal in the English Premier League, and 0-2 to Manchester City in the League Cup.
Thus, Chelsea has lost six of their last eight games in all competitions (won one, drawn one). This is the most losses they have had in 8 games since December 1993.
If we only count the English Premier League, Chelsea has lost seven games this season, the same as the number of wins, along with four draws. The London club is struggling in tenth place with 25 points, ten points behind the group in the Champions League, but with one game in hand.
These results have put pressure on coach Graham Potter. In recent weeks, the English coach has repeatedly stated that leading Chelsea is a difficult task, and he needs patience, support from the fans, and support from the leadership. Potter's contract runs until the summer of 2027 when he was given a five-year contract by the new owner Todd Boehly to replace Thomas Tuchel.
Not only did they lose, but Chelsea also continued to suffer injuries as well, with Thiago Silva and Reece James being added to the injury list.
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