Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has said that he is hopeful Alvaro Morata's hamstring injury is not serious after he was forced to limp off during the first half of this evening's 1-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The in-form striker lasted just 35 minutes of the contest at Stamford Bridge before being withdrawn with the problem as Willian came on in his place.
The injury only exacerbated a disappointing day for Chelsea which saw them outclassed by a bigger margin than the final scoreline suggests, and Conte admitted that his side were feeling the effects of their midweek triumph over Atletico Madrid in Spain.
"It was a tough game but we know very well that Manchester City are a big team and it's very difficult to play this type of game. I think that we gave everything today and I am happy with the commitment and desire from all my players. They had the will to fight against a very strong team," he told BT Sport.
"In this type of game you need time to recover, if you are tired it is not simple to go box to box. Today we created chances but we didn't take them. Manchester City had chances and they took them.
"It is logical when you play three games in seven days you risk something. I hope it is not a serious injury for Morata. It is his hamstring but we don't know if it is a serious problem. We move on, we rest and I am very proud to be the coach of these players."
Morata has scored 10 goals for club and country this season, including six in as many Premier League games before today.
Barney Corkhill
