Joao Felix Had A Beautiful Start But A Terrible End In His Chelsea Debut

Within 30 hours after Chelsea confirmed the signing of Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid, the Portuguese star made his debut against Fulham.

Most pundits didn’t expect coach Graham Potter to rush Joao Felix into Chelsea’s starting lineup but due to the injury woes at the club, the coach was left with no choice but to give him his debut on Thursday night.

Initially, it was looking like a good decision as the 23-year-old Portuguese forward gave a very good account of himself in the 58 minutes that he was on the pitch.

How did Joao Felix perform in his Chelsea debut

Before things went sour for Joao Felix, the Portuguese star was the best player on the pitch according to Opta’s stats.

Even though his stay on the pitch was cut short, Felix had the most shots (6), shots on target (4), successful take-on (2), and won the most fouls (4) of any player on either side.

Why was Felix sent off?

Joao Felix tackling Kenny Tete on Thursday night.

Joao Felix’s good performance was stained by his unnecessary challenge on Fulham’s Kenny Tete.

Before the hard tackle, Fulham took the lead in the 25th minute thanks to Chelsea’s former player Willian. A few minutes after the break, Kalidou Koulibaly gave Chelsea the equalizer in the 47th minute.

The game was looking good for Chelsea until Felix decided to slide into Tete in the 58th minute which earned him a straight red card.

In the 73rd minute, Fulham’s Vinicius scored the winner through a header to grab the maximum three points in front of the home fans.

What next for Felix and Chelsea

The straight red card means that Chelsea will be without Joao Felix for three straight Premier League games.

This means that Felix won’t be available for Chelsea’s league game against Crystal Palace on January 15, Liverpool on January 21, and Fulham again on February 3.

The Portuguese star will return to the field on February 11, when Chelsea visit the London Stadium to take on West Ham United.

The struggling Chelsea side are currently sitting in the 10th spot on the league table with 25 points in 18 games.