Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana was seen hobbling onto the field after the London derby (Picture: Getty)
Wesley Fofana was pictured with heavy strapping around his knee after Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over West Ham and appeared to be walking with a limp as Enzo Maresca’s players celebrated the win.
The 23-year-old defender has been plagued by injury since arriving at Stamford Bridge two years ago and missed the entirety of the 2023/24 season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament last summer.
A separate knee injury ruled Fofana out of contention for four months at the start of his Chelsea career.
After returning to full fitness, Fofana has been an ever-present under Maresca, starting all five of the Blues’ opening games in the Premier League this term.
But Fofana was taken off in the 57th minute at the London Stadium, with Axel Disasi coming on in his place, and there are fears the Frenchman may have suffered another setback.
Shortly after the final whistle, the former Leicester and Saint-Etienne man was seen hobbling back onto the pitch with strapping wrapped around his left knee.
While Fofana was clearly in some discomfort, he appeared in good spirits as he applauded Chelsea’s away support after the one-sided derby – and Maresca will no doubt be hoping it is a minor issue.
It remains to be seen if Fofana is set for another spell on the sidelines, with Chelsea’s Carabao Cup clash with Barrow taking place in just three days’ time.
It was an otherwise positive afternoon for Chelsea, with the west London giants picking up their first win at the London Stadium since as far back as 2021.
‘It’s been a good game in terms of the result and also the clean sheet is important,’ Maresca said in his post-match interview with TNT Sports.
‘We are going in the right direction. We have many things to improve but today we are happy because I think we deserved to win the game.’
Jackson and Palmer fired the Blues to a convincing London-derby victory (Picture: Getty)
While Maresca was pleased with his side’s all-round display, he believes there is still major room for improvement from both an attacking and a defensive perspective.
‘I just focus on the things that we need to improve and I think there are many things that we need to improve. This is the main target in this moment,’ the Italian added.
‘We can attack better and we can defend better but we started just two months ago.
‘We are going in the right direction and this is a long journey.’
Maresca’s men maintained their 100 per cent record on the road in the league this season (Picture: Getty)
Nicolas Jackson got his hands on the man-of-the-match award after stunning West Ham with an 18-minute brace and assisting Cole Palmer for Chelsea’s third in the second half.
Asked whether it was the striker’s finest performance since being his appointment as Chelsea manager, Maresca replied: ‘Probably in terms of goals, for sure.
‘Nicolas, for us, is a very important player. The way he behaves on the ball in terms of goals and assists but also off the ball, he is working very hard.
‘We are happy with him and we are happy with Christopher Nkunku. It’s good for both of them and it’s good for Nicolas.’
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