Chelsea dealt injury blow as Romeo Lavia hamstring issue confirmed after Spurs substitution
Chelsea have been dealt a huge injury blow as Enzo Maresca confirmed Romeo Lavia suffered a hamstring injury against Tottenham.
The midfielder was replaced by Malo Gusto at half-time, with Chelsea losing 2-1 at the break before completing an incredible turnaround.
Cole Palmer scored twice from the spot either side of an Enzo Fernandez strike to complete the comeback against Spurs.
Lavia was substituted at half-time, just moments after being elbowed by Dejan Kulusevski, with Chelsea fans assuming that the Belgian was suffering from concussion.
However, speaking after the match, Maresca confirmed that Lavia sustained a hamstring injury rather than a concussion which led to his substitution.
"No, he unfortunately felt something in his hamstring," Maresca responded when asked about the suspected concussion.
The news comes as a blow to Chelsea, who appear to have identified their best midfield set-up, with Moises Caicedo starting at right-back and inverting alongside Lavia.
With the Blues facing Brentford on the weekend, Caicedo could return to a more traditional midfield role with Gusto starting at his natural right-back position.
The injury comes as a blow to Maresca as Wesley Fofana and Reece James are also absent with hamstring issues, and are set to remain on the sidelines until the new year.
Mykhailo Mudryk has also missed out on the last few matches for Chelsea, suffering with an illness.
However, speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Maresca played down fears of the injury.
He said: "He had a hamstring problem but now he is okay. We don't want to take risks in December. Sometimes it's better to make changes after 45 minutes rather than lose a player for five or six games."
With the games coming thick and fast in the Premier League and Conference League, Chelsea travel to Khazakstan to face Astana before taking on Brentford at the weekend.
Maresca will be hoping that Lavia can shake off his hamstring issue, having spent the infancy of his Chelsea career on the sidelines alongside the likes of Fofana and James.
It remains to be seen as to whether Lavia will need a scan on his hamstring as James had, but Chelsea will be hoping for a more positive outcome for their midfielder - with their captain set to remain out until the new year.
Chelsea's win over Spurs sees them extend their lead in the top four, moving two points clear of Arsenal in second and just four points behind league leaders Liverpool.
