Chelsea left sweating over injury to Mason Mount in FA Cup fourth round win over Plymouth
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Updated 05/02/2022 at 17:42 GMT
Chelsea assistant manager Arno Michels could not give any guarantees over the fitness of Mason Mount, who had to be substituted in the 98th-minute of the Blues' 2-1 victory over Plymouth in the fourth-round of the FA Cup. With the Club World Cup now just days away, the England international may have to miss out.
Mason Mount of Chelsea reacts as Brighton & Hove Albion celebrate their side's goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge on December 29, 2021
Image credit: Getty Images
Chelsea's assistant manager Arno Michels is hoping an injury sustained by Mason Mount during the FA Cup fourth-round victory over Plymouth isn't too serious but added "I can't promise what the situation is".
The England international was forced off eight minutes into extra-time after taking a strike from distance and headed straight down the tunnel shaking his head.
Losing Mount would be a blow to the Blues ahead of their Club World Cup campaign, which begins in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Michels, who was standing in for Thomas Tuchel after the Chelsea boss tested positive for Covid-19, said: "He felt an injury in extra time with this shot. He realised quick he felt pain and so we took him off.
"There will be further exams. Hopefully, it's not too bad but I can't promise what the situation is."
Chelsea were wasteful on the day and required an extra-time goal from Marcos Alonso to squeeze past League One opposition, as striker Romelu Lukaku endured another frustrating day in attack.
"He's working a lot for the team, doing lots of touches, but is a little bit unlucky," Michels said of Lukaku.
"We try to put him in, give him opportunities and we will keep on going like this because he is an important player for us.
"He is our striker so he also needs some trust in moments he doesn't score."
At the opposite end, Chelsea were thankful for goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who saved Ryan Hardie's 117th-minute spot-kick to prevent the game from going to a shootout.
His impressive display was singled out by Michels, who said: "It's not only about the penalty, it's also about the performance.
"In the last matches, I've felt him very reliable in his game. His strength is to save penalties, he's shown it a few times now.
"In training it's hard to beat him and in penalty shootouts he has the ability to read the mind of what the player is going to do.
"We are very happy with Kepa and he deserves this trust because he is a fantastic guy. It is hard for him because Edou is playing very good, but Kepa is doing very good work and is an amazing guy. I am happy for him."
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