Chelsea suffer blow as star player went off injured in Burnley draw
Chelsea have been dealt another blow as right-back Malo Gusto went off injured in their 2-2 draw against Burnley in the Premier League on March 30.
The Blues suffered another disappointing result as they could only draw against 10-man Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Lorenz Assignon was arguably harshly sent off in the 40th minute after he received a second yellow card for a foul on Mykhaylo Mudryk in the box. Cole Palmer scored via the resultant penalty.
Burnley, however, equalised in the 47th minute through a brilliant strike from Josh Cullen. Palmer scored again in the 78th minute but the Clarets equalised three minutes later via Dara O'Shea after some poor goalkeeping by Djordje Petrovic. Both sides had great chances to win it but failed to capitalise on them.
If the result wasn't a big enough blow, Chelsea also saw Gusto go off in the 87th minute due to what appeared to be a hamstring injury. He was replaced by youngster Alfie Gilchrist.
Gusto has been a bright spark in an otherwise struggling Blues side. Having arrived from Olympique Lyon last summer, he has deputised well for the injured club captain Reece James. He has provided eight assists in 30 games across competitions.
Mauricio Pochettino left frustrated after Chelsea's draw against Burnley
The Blues have been highly inconsistent this season and find themselves 11th in the Premier League standings. It was again on display in their 2-2 draw against 10-man Burnley on Saturday.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was very frustrated with his side's performances and let it known after the game. He also pointed out the first goal they conceded where they allowed Burnley to play around them and score brilliantly via Josh Cullen.
Pochettino said (via Chelseafc.com):
"Look at the way we conceded the first goal. They had one player less and they played easy one-touch passes with the midfielder and then we had conceded.
"The players need to realise that competing is different from playing football. We can be there and play but after we need to increase our level."
He added:
"That’s not to blame the players, it’s to blame everyone, because maybe we need to be tougher with the players when we only have one day to prepare, because they all arrived in different circumstances from their national team.
"But we need to be more like a team, we need to find better communication, we need to be more competitive."
Chelsea will next host sixth-placed Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, April 4. They are eight points behind the Red Devils with a game in hand and will look to close the gap.