Joao Felix endured a nightmare debut for Chelsea on Thursday night as his new team fell to a 2-1 defeat against local rivals Fulham at Craven Cottage. The Portuguese forward, one of the most expensive loan transfers ever, was sent off in the 58th minute for a dangerous slide tackle on Kenny Tete that earned him a straight red card.
The 23-year-old, Joao Felix, had looked impressive up until that point, making surging runs, delivering incisive passes and showing some neat tricks and flicks. It was a costly error for both the club and for under-pressure manager Graham Potter, who described Felix’s red card as another blow to his side.
Joao Felix’s Red Card Affected The Blues
The red card changed the game, making it more difficult for Chelsea, who had gone ahead in the 25th minute through a deflected shot from former Blues winger Willian. However, they were pegged back just two minutes into the restart when Mason Mount’s free-kick came back off the post and Kalidou Koulibaly forced home the rebound from close range.
Chelsea’s misery was compounded in the 73rd minute when Carlos Vinicius met a cross from Andreas Pereira with an unchallenged header at the far post as goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga hesitated to come out for the ball.
The defeat leaves Chelsea in 10th place, 19 points off top of the league Arsenal and with a top-four finish to qualify for the Champions League looking increasingly unlikely. On the other hand, Fulham continue to impress in their first season back in the top flight, climbing above Liverpool into sixth place and achieving a fourth straight win in the top flight, something the southwest London club hadn’t achieved since 1966.
The result is a further blow to Potter and his team, who have now lost six of their last eight matches in all competitions, their worst run of results in nearly 30 years. Although Potter praised his team’s application in the face of adversity, it is clear that Joao Felix’s costly error has added further pressure to the manager and his side.
