Huge Blow: Chelsea Star Ruled Out Of Clash Against Stoke City
Dec 27, 2016 at 3:25 PM
Chelsea will be without their in-form star Pedro when they welcome Stoke City on the new year’s eve.
The former Barcelona star starred for the Blues against AFC Bournemouth as his brace helped his team to thrash the Cherries 3-0 and consolidate their position at the top. The Spaniard opened the scoring in the 24th minute when he found the back of the net with a curled net before scoring his second and Chelsea’s third in the injury time. In between, he received a yellow card from referee Mike Jones for a late tackle in the second half which will see him suspended for Chelsea’s next game.
The Spain international’s absence will surely be a huge blow for Antonio Conte since the forward has been in superb form. But Conte will be pleased to welcome Diego Costa and N’Golo Kante, both of whom missed the game against the Cherries due to suspensions.
62 minutes played and it's still Chelsea 2 Bournemouth 0. Pedro has just been booked for a late tackle. #CHEBOU
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 26, 2016
Meanwhile, the Blues have opened a seven-point lead at the top which can be reduced to six if Liverpool wins today against Stoke City at Anfield. The Reds are currently third in the league, two points adrift of second-placed Manchester City, but will leapfrog them with a win against Mark Hughes’ side.