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Chelsea have appealed against Thibaut Courtois’ dismissal in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Swansea City.
Courtois was sent off for a professional foul on Bafetimbi Gomis, which carries a one-match suspension that, if upheld, would rule him out of Sunday’s Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea, though, today decided to appeal against Courtois’ dismissal by Michael Oliver. The laws of the game state that a player should be sent off only if he denies “an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal”, and the extent to which that description fits the incident will be the crux of the issue. Chelsea have to submit written and video evidence by 1pm on Tuesday and will find out the Football Association’s decision later in the afternoon.
If the ban is upheld then Asmir Begovic will make his full Chelsea debut, after coming off the bench on Saturday evening.
Show all 27 1 /27Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings CHELSEA: Thibaut Courtois Was untroubled early on, but when called into action, made several comfortable saves to keep the home side in the game. He let himself down, though, by being sent off after rushing forwards and making a challenge on Gomis just inside the area. 5
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Branislav Ivanovic Forayed forwards and even had a go at goal, though it was well high. He struggled to contain the pace of Montero in the second half although he tried to make up for it by attacking towards the end of the match. 5
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Gary Cahill Linked up well, as you’d expect, with his central defensive partner Terry and had a commanding presence in front of Courtois. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings John Terry The captain produced a brilliant last-ditch tackle to slow down Gomis’ shot, allowing Ivanovic to then clear the danger. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta Ayew was a menace for the left-back but he did well in a position that he does not have any competition for, at the moment. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Nemanja Matic Made some good tackles in midfield to protect the back line but felt he didn’t have the presence he normally does. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Cesc Fabregas Last season’s top assist holder pulled the strings in midfield for the champions. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Oscar Delivered a superb free-kick to open the scoring and really looked motivated following his summer assertion that he wants to challenge Hazard for the PFA Player of the Year award. 7
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Willian Chelsea’s second goal may go down as an own one, but it was the Brazilian’s fine shot that created it. He proved a constant threat down the right flank. 8
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Eden Hazard Ran riot with his pace on the left flank but couldn’t get on the score-sheet. Looked bright for the home side. 7
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Diego Costa Despite passing a late fitness test, the striker was sharp throughout the match although he couldn’t find the breakthrough moment to get a goal. His fitness will prove important if Chelsea want to retain their title this term. 7
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings From the bench: Asmir Begovic ame on to replace the red-carded Courtois and couldn’t do much to stop Gomis’ penalty. But the goalkeeper made a good stop to keep out Montero’s shot later and handled all of his tests with ease. His recent performances will certainly put pressure on Courtois for the No.1 spot this season. 7
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Radamel Falcao Didn’t have much time to make a real impact with the game already 2-2. It remains to be seen whether he can resurrect his career at Stamford Bridge. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings SWANSEA CITY: Lukasz Fabianski Ran off his line a few times early on to make some good save but was helpless to prevent Willian’s goal going in after Fernandez’s touch allowed the ball to loop over him. Saved a Hazard shot late on literally with his face but was commanding in goal for the visitors. 7
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Kyle Naughton Struggled with Hazard’s pace but defended well otherwise. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Ashley Williams After confirming he will stay at the club this week amid links to Crystal Palace and Everton, Swansea’s captain put in a good display but made some cynical late challenges to keep Chelsea at bay. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Federico Fernandez The centre-back produced some good defending early on, but was lucky to have not conceded a penalty for his tackle on Costa in the first half. 5
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Neil Taylor The combination of Willian and Ivanovic caused the defender problems with the Brazilian, in particular, regularly finding space behind him. 5
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Gylfi Sigurdsson Saw his attempt at goal stopped by Courtois, could have done better, but was otherwise quiet. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Jonjo Shelvey The only thing he didn’t get in this game was a goal. He was consistently involved in Swansea’s attacks from midfield, providing key crosses to his teammate, and was a constant nuisance for the Chelsea players. 7
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Ki Sung-yeung Came off with an injury just before half-time but did make one key piece of play in attack when he fired a shot at Courtois. One felt he could have done better there. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Andre Ayew The former Marseille player looks to be a fabulous free transfer for Swansea after scoring the equaliser and forcing Chelsea to deal with his pace while helping his colleagues by tracking back and defending. 8
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Jefferson Montero Provided tons of pace for Swansea down the left wing and whipped in some dangerous crosses for Gomis in the first half. He then came out in the second period and really troubled Ivanovic, regularly getting in behind the right-back and threatening to score. 7
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Bafetimbi Gomis The striker should have opened the scoring for the visitors with his two early chances, but he made up for it with a well-taken penalty in the second half. He was involved in almost every single Swansea attack and also dropped back to defend. A fine showing for the striker. 9
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings From the bench: Jack Cork Came on in the 40th minute and made a few early tackles, which resulted in a booking. But his work helped protect the back four. 7
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Wayne Routledge Went for goal within minutes of coming on but was stopped by Begovic. A good cameo appearance. 6
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Chelsea 2 Swansea 2 player ratings Eder The summer signing from Braga came on in the second half and didn’t have much to do – but did make a key intervention to put a stop to Ivanovic’s late attack. 6
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It was clear after the game on Saturday what Jose Mourinho made of Mr Oliver’s decision to send off Courtois. “It was on day one that we were punished,” he said, refusing to criticise the decision in public. “But it was not on day one that I opened my mouth.”
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