Chelsea star Joao Felix sent off on debut for horror tackle vs Fulham

Chelsea V Fulham in pictures

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Joao Felix was shown a straight red card on his Chelsea debut after flying into a reckless tackle against Fulham on Thursday, with the Atletico Madrid loanee now facing a three-game ban. Felix started the game positively and had been one of the Blues’ best players until his rush of blood to the head, which left his side fighting for three points a man light. 

Chelsea were held to have pulled off a major coup by signing Felix on loan for the rest of the season. The silky 23-year-old forward had endured a strained relationship with Atletico boss Simeone and several top Premier League sides had explored the possibility of snapping him up in January. 

The Blues were the first to strike and supporters didn’t have to wait long for the 2019 Golden Boy winner to make his debut. With manager Graham Potter in desperate need of points to stave off a wave of pressure on his position in the dugout, Felix was thrown straight into the deep end in the Premier League clash at Craven Cottage. 

And fans will have liked what they saw during the first half and at the start of the second, with the youngster showing sharp touches and eye-catching skills to strike fear into Fulham defenders and get Chelsea moving up the pitch. 

What was turning out to be a positive debut suddenly became a nightmare evening for Felix, however, when he lunged high into a tackle on Fulham’s Kenny Tete. The Dutchman went down in a heap and referee David Coote was given a huge decision to make, but the nature of the challenge meant he had no choice but to give the Chelsea man his marching orders. 

After flying into the tackle, Felix immediately raised his hand to the referee in apology but Fulham players were quick to make their voices heard. The former Benfica youth prospect then looked away in horror after the red card was drawn and trudged off the field with his head down. 

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