Mauricio Pochettino admits Reece James’ red card is a “painful” blow for Chelsea after their 2-1 win at Brighton.
The captain was substituted at short notice but was quickly shown the red card for kicking Joao Pedro and now faces a four-match ban.
Danny Welbeck’s stoppage-time goal gave Chelsea a final scare after Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku had given them a two-goal lead.
Asked about James’ red card, Pochettino said: “No, I didn’t see it. It’s difficult to give my opinion because I didn’t have time to watch the action. But it’s painful (for us) because it was a fantastic night of football and he’s a really important player. Now he’ll miss the next game and a few games next season.”
Mykhailo Mudryk also suffered a head injury in the first half when Tariq Lamptey blocked the Ukrainian and hit him in the face. The VAR reviewed the incident for possible violence but concluded that the replays did not provide a clear result.
Asked if Mudryk was OK, Pochettino said: “No, we are checking. He was a bit dizzy but we used the concussion substitute and the rule is seven days, so he will not be available for the next game but I hope everything is OK.”
Chelsea are in a great position for European qualification with their sixth place finish and need just one more point to qualify for the Conference League, but their Europa League hopes remain alive.
“I am so happy for the players. They deserve full credit for the way we work, the way we approach the game and the way we have tried to implement all the work we have done on the training ground. I am proud,” said Pochettino.
“It’s always difficult to play against a team like Brighton here. We’re so happy because the three points mean we’re one step closer to our goal.”
