Injury for Chelsea as Liam Delap Leaves Early Due to Hamstring Pain

Liam Delap’s potential first full appearance for Chelsea was cut short after less than 15 minutes during Saturday’s match against Fulham at Stamford Bridge. The new striker, who recently joined from Manchester City, started the game alongside Joao Pedro but was only able to touch the ball three times before he suffered a hamstring injury.

Delap was substituted in the 14th minute after appearing to be in pain and was replaced by teenager Tyrique George. Instead of returning to the Chelsea bench, Delap headed straight down the tunnel, indicating the severity of his injury. The match was still goalless at that point, though Fulham soon nearly took the lead, only for VAR to disallow a goal by Josh King following a foul review.

Chelsea’s Liam Delap appeared to injure his hamstring during Saturday’s game against Fulham

Delap looked disappointed as he sat on the turf before being substituted off in the 14th minute

After leaving the field, Delap headed down the tunnel instead of taking a seat on the bench

Despite his early exit, Chelsea took a 1-0 lead into halftime with Joao Pedro scoring his first goal for the club. The Blues then secured a 2-0 victory with Enzo Fernandez converting a penalty early in the second half. Saturday’s appearance marked Delap’s ninth for Chelsea since his £30 million transfer from Ipswich Town in June, complementing his earlier contributions at the FIFA Club World Cup, where he scored in a 3-0 win against ES Tunis.