Chelsea were not at their best against Fulham, but they still had enough in the tank to get a win and all three points. There were some controversial decisions made by VAR on the day. Should the visitors' opener have been ruled out? Was there a handball on Joao Pedro in the buildup to the Blues getting a penalty in the second half?
But all things considered, this was a fair result. It was not all positive for Chelsea coming out of the game though.
Chelsea have recently found an agreement with Bayern Munich for Nicolas Jackson's loan move to the Allianz Arena. But, immediately afterwards, they look set to be without one of their strikers for the foreseeable future.
Last weekend, Cole Palmer had to be taken out of the starting XI during the pre-match warmup. This time, Liam Delap had to be taken off after just 14 minutes. And it looks like he is set for a spell out on the sidelines.
'6 to 8 weeks' - Enzo Maresca shares worrying Chelsea injury news
It appears that Delap is expected to be out for around six to eight weeks. As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Enzo Maresca told TNT Sports:
"Liam Delap is expected to be out for 6 to 8 weeks because of this type of injury."
Delap brought a very different option to this Chelsea team. He is a presence up top and while he might not have scored last weekend, he did help his teammates find the back of the net with his strong play as a target man.
Chelsea are surely going to miss him. And it does leave them a bit stretched for options going forward. Pedro is the only out-and-out option now, and even he is a different sort of striker. A combination of the number 9 and 10.
We can only wish Delap a speedy recovery. Hopefully, he will back on the pitch as soon as possible. These injuries are starting to become a major worry for Chelsea. One has to wonder if it is a result of a short pre-season or something else.