Moises Caicedo is running a suspension tightrope with the Chelsea midfielder ONE yellow card away from a two-game ban.
The Ecuadorian has been excellent for the Blues this season but has often found a path into the referee’s notebook. He was booked on the opening day of the season against Manchester City and has since been carded nine times in 27 matches, with five coming in his last six appearances.
Caicedo’s most recent caution came during Chelsea’s thumping 4-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday. The 22-year-old was handed a yellow card in the 66th minute at Stamford Bridge. He has now picked up the second-most bookings in the top-flight this season behind Sasa Lukic and Will Hughes (both 10)
If Caicedo receives a yellow card when Chelsea are next in Premier League action at home to Leicester, he will miss two gigantic fixtures against Arsenal and Tottenham. With the Blues chasing a Champions League spot, they cannot afford to lose someone as important as Caicedo for them matches.
That proved to be the only real negative spin on a brilliant night for Chelsea as they returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion. They took the lead in the 24th minute through a brave header from Christopher Nkunku and finished the first half in rampant fashion, scoring twice as Pedro Neto slammed home and Levi Colwill headed in a cross to put them three-nil up. Enzo Maresca’s side created an abundance of chances to score more but didn’t find a fourth until deep in the second half when Marc Cucurella fired into the corner.
The result moved back up to fourth and in a strong position in the race for the Champions League. Speaking after the game, Maresca expressed his delight with the performance. He told TNT Sports: “We all needed that.
“We were in a bad run in term of results. The performance was always there maybe except against Brighton. The club needed that. We are happy.”
Meanwhile, defender Levi Colwill added: “It’s a reaction that we really needed. The plan is to take it game by game and play like this all the time.”
Colwill, who turns 22 on Wednesday, found the net for the Blues and he was delighted to score his first of the season, continuing: “I don’t think Neto knows it was Colwill’s birthday tomorrow to be fair. I have kept it quiet. But I am so happy to score. Obviously, it’s against Southampton.”
