CHELSEA star N’Golo Kante came off INJURED just 11 days before the Champions League final against Manchester City.
But boss Thomas Tuchel eased concerns after the Blues beat Leicester City 2-1 to put one foot in next season’s Champions League.
The win means Chelsea are third, a point ahead of Leicester with just one game to play – and four in front of Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Disaster had struck in the first half when Kante came off injured after just 30 minutes.
The Frenchman has been in scintillating form in recent weeks but the midfielder called to the bench after feeling a problem.
It was not clear why he had come off, with Tuchel saying he ‘didn’t know yet’ how serious the injury was and confirming that Kante will undergo further tests on Wednesday.
The German said: “We will check them tomorrow. I have a good feeling with N’Golo.
“He said he felt something, he didn’t want to risk a muscle injury. I hope for Sunday [he will be fit].
“He went out before [a potential] injury.
“He said he would get injured if he continued to play.”
Kante had shared a few words with Tuchel before heading straight for the tunnel at Stamford Bridge.
His withdrawal did see the welcome return of Mateo Kovacic, who had not played since April 10.
Antonio Rudiger and a Jorginho penalty was enough for Chelsea to beat Leicester, who could not find a late equaliser after Kelechi Iheanacho had pulled one back.
Kante was out earlier in the season because of a hamstring injury, missing five games in January.
Kante, who was earlier named to Didier Deschamps’ 26-man France squad for Euro 2020, also missed games for Les Bleus during the last international break.
However, despite the withdrawal of one of their star men, Chelsea managed to hold on for a crucial 2-1 win against their top four rivals Leicester City.
The win puts the Blues on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
With just one game to play, Chelsea are now a point ahead of the Foxes and four in front of Liverpool – who have a game in hand.
Champions League final opponents Man City also had an injury worry of their own.
Pep Guardiola’s team – who suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Brighton – saw Ilkay Gundogan go off at the Amex Stadium.
The German midfielder had opened the scoring after just two minutes for the visitors but was on the end of a high tackle and had to go off.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola admitted it is now a waiting game.
He said: “He got a kick in the first half on his knee. We’ll see tomorrow how he feels. He didn’t run properly and we decided to make a sub.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
