Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill break silence after Chelsea injury scare vs Crystal Palace

Chelsea once more had to deal with injuries as they edged past Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday night. The Blues came from behind on the night thanks to a brace from Conor Gallagher at the start and end of the second half, but the victory was plagued with ominous signs.

Not only did the lacklustre first 45 minutes join a growing list of passive, tepid displays from Mauricio Pochettino's side, there were also four major fitness worries flagged. On the day that Chelsea named perhaps the strongest bench of the season — Raheem Sterling, Christopher Nkunku, Levi Colwill, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Carney Chukwuemeka all formed a solid lineup alongside the returning Trevoh Chalobah — Pochettino's problems grew yet more.

Before kick-off football.london reported that there are fears that Benoit Badiashile is set to miss the next month with a groin strain, but three extra issues occurred during the match. Badiashile made way for Thiago Silva in the starting XI — a call that seemed to play a part in Chelsea's lower defensive line and cautious passing approach in the first half — and cut short his impressive return to form after dominating against Aston Villa.

Silva himself had to be taken off after half time though. «We need to assess Thiago tomorrow,» Pochettino explained after the match. Remarkably it's the first time in recent memory that the 39-year-old has encountered any issues with his fitness.

The blow to his defensive partner Malo Gusto later on in the game was even more of a worry though.Gusto was making his third start in a row having been ruled out of the fourth round stalemate with Villa three weeks ago. It comes just six weeks after his last set of injury problems as well.

The 20-year-old has been an impressive