Mauricio Pochettino has seen his Chelsea injury worries increase with Malo Gusto limping off in the late stages of the clash against Burnley.
The France international has dealt with niggling issues throughout the season, but he has frequently stepped up in the absence of club captain Reece James. However in the final minutes of the clash at Stamford Bridge, with the score level, Gusto was replaced by Alfie Gilchrist after clutching his hamstring.
Robert Sanchez, Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka were all added to Chelsea’s injury list earlier this week and now Gusto could be set to join them. The Blues looked set for a relatively simple afternoon when Lorenz Assignon was sent off for a foul inside the box just before half time with Cole Palmer then scoring from the spot.
However, Josh Cullen equalised for the visitors just minutes into the second half. Pochettino threw Noni Madueke and Raheem Sterling on in an attempt to win the game, however it was Palmer yet again on target to put Chelsea back in front, but the drama was not done there.
A Burnley corner was met by Dara O’Shea with Djorde Petrovic failing to get a strong hand onto his header which saw the ball nestle into the back of the net. Two dropped points for Chelsea saw them remain in eleventh, three points off the top seven and a further 16 away from the Champions League qualification spots.
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Considering Chelsea were unable to beat relegation-threatened Burnley at home, despite them playing with a man less for over 45 minutes, pressure on Pochettino will likely mount. The Argentine has already faced significant scrutiny, with mixed results coming, and that will certainly continue over the coming days but the focus must quickly switch with a clash against Manchester United in just a few days.
