Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has been charged by the FA after his challenge on Shane Long at the weekend, and he could now face a three-game ban.
The Spaniard escaped punishment from referee Mike Dean during the game, but replays showed how poorly-judged his challenge was and he rightly now faces further action.
As noted by Sky Sports, Alonso has been charged and has time to now appeal, but ultimately, it doesn’t look as though he’ll be able to get away with no retrospective actin being taken against him.
Should the three-match suspension be enforced, the 27-year-old will miss this weekend’s all-important FA Cup semi-final clash with Southampton, while also sitting out Premier League outings against Burnley and Swansea City.
Given that he has been an ever-present figure in Antonio Conte’s line-up, making 43 appearances in all competitions so far this season, it’s a huge blow for the Blues as it will raise a real concern as to who steps in for him on the left flank against the Saints.
Chelsea pulled off a stunning comeback at the weekend to wipe out a two-goal deficit to seal a 3-2 win, as they continue to fight for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Conte’s side sit seven points adrift of Tottenham with five games remaining, and so while the FA Cup represents their last hope of silverware to salvage something from the campaign, they’ll also miss Alonso against Burnley and Swansea in their push to qualify for the Champions League.
They’ll be desperate to avoid any slip-ups this weekend, but with Southampton causing them problems last Saturday, the last thing they need is to be forced into a reshuffle defensively with Alonso now at risk of being forced to watch from the sidelines.