CHELSEA star Malo Gusto was shown a straight red for a dangerous foul on Aston Villa Lucas Digne as Mauricio Pochettino’s woes continue.
The Blues suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Villans at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.
The two sides battled out a goalless first half but Mauricio Pochettino’s men suffered a crushing blow moments after the restart.
With just over ten minutes gone in the second period, the 20-year-old right wing-back was given his marching orders.
The French full-back flew into a tackle on his compatriot Digne near the touchline.
The referee gave the free-kick and initially booked the former Lyon man.
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However, he was then asked to review the incident by VAR – and upon further inspection he upgraded the caution from a yellow to a straight red.
And around quarter of an hour later things went from bad to worse for the West London club as Ollie Watkins grabbed the only goal of the game.
His likely three-match ban will add a further headache to boss Pochettino.
Summer signing Christopher Nkunku is already sidelined for Chelsea until at least December with a knee injury.
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Meanwhile, they have a number of absences already at the back.
Club captain Reece James is another absentee, while centre-half Wesley Fofana is recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgery.
And they are joined on the sidelines by fellow defender Trevoh Chalobah and midfield duo Romeo Lavia and Carney Chukwuemeka.
The upcoming suspension comes as a bitter blow to Gusto as he looks to try and cement his place as a first-team regular.
He was signed for £31m back in January on a deal until 2030 but he was instantly loaned back to Lyon for the rest of the campaign.
Gusto linked up with Chelsea this summer and made his debut in August in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool.
He has gone on to make a further six appearances, including today, since then.
However, he now looks likely to be hit with a three-game ban.
That would rule him out of the Premier League clashes against Fulham, Burnley and Arsenal.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
