In pictures: Fulham v Chelsea
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was quick to play down the prospect of injuries for Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja after the pair were forced off during Monday’s win over Fulham. Both players scored before the break for the Blues, who managed to earn their first Premier League victory in over a month at Craven Cottage.
Mudryk impressed during the first half with his direct running out wide for Chelsea but was hooked at half-time, while Broja was replaced by Raheem Sterling after the hour mark. The changes sparked fears of more injuries for the Blues to contend with but Pochettino later insisted that he is hoping for both players to be available for Saturday’s trip to Burnley.
The Chelsea boss told Sky Sports: “It’s very important for offensive players to score a goal. He [Mudryk] was doing well. He was unlucky at half-time, he felt something in his quad but hopefully it’s not a big issue. Also for Broja it’s important. I am happy for them both and hopefully they are OK for the weekend.”
Moises Caicedo was also forced off for Chelsea in the closing minutes and looked to be in some pain as he limped away from the pitch to be replaced by Noni Madueke. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit to face Burnley on the weekend, with the Blues planning to evaluate his condition in due course.
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“We hope it’s nothing serious but it looked like a bruise,” added Pochettino when quizzed on what happened to Caicedo. “We will evaluate it in detail in the coming days.”
Chelsea came flying out of the blocks in the first half, with Broja working himself into a shooting position early on before sending his effort high over the crossbar. Mudryk then managed to break the deadlock inside the opening 20 minutes before Broja got in on the act just moments later to give the Blues a two-goal advantage.
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Fulham fought hard as the clock ticked down in the second half but were unable to hit back, allowing Chelsea to register only their second win of the new Premier League season. The west Londoners are still in the bottom half of the table, though, and remain eight points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool after their first seven matches.
When asked for his thoughts on the performance of his players, Pochettino said: “It’s important for us to build our confidence and trust in ourselves. The performance was very good, I’m so happy for the players and in the end we got what we deserved.”
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