Joao Pedro missed Chelsea’s Premier League match at Manchester United on Saturday after being ruled out with a thigh injury, leaving Liam Delap to start in attack as the club tried to steady itself after a rough run in the league.
Liam Rosenior said the 24-year-old felt his thigh a few days ago and was touch and go for the game, but Chelsea were hopeful he could return for their next Premier League fixture away to Brighton on Tuesday night.
The absence mattered because Joao Pedro is Chelsea’s top scorer this season with 19 goals in all competitions, and his goals have been one of the few bright spots in a campaign that had already brought three consecutive Premier League losses into the Manchester United match, including last Sunday’s 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City.
Enzo Fernandez also came back into Chelsea’s starting line-up after serving a two-game internal suspension, giving the side a small lift in personnel even as the attack changed shape without Joao Pedro. Rosenior said the switch was not dramatic, only a different profile of striker, with Liam liking to stretch and run behind while Joao prefers to play to feet, and he added that Delap had been pushing for the chance to start and should try to take it.
Chelsea now turn quickly to Brighton, where the question is not whether Joao Pedro matters, but whether the thigh injury clears in time for a player the team has leaned on more than any other this season. For a side that needed a response after three straight league losses, his return could shape more than one match.
Related coverage on other competitions has also kept Joao Pedro in view, including Toluca Vs San Luis: João Pedro and Paulinho headline Jornada 14.