Chelsea dealt injury blow as problems mount up ahead of crucial Liverpool clash

Chelsea's problems continue to mount up, with the Blues dealt an injury blow just a few weeks before facing Liverpool in what will be a crucial game in the race for Champions League qualification

Estevao was forced off injured early on for Chelsea against Manchester United(Image: Getty Images)

Chelsea has been handed another injury blow as Liam Rosenior’s problems mount ahead of next month’s crucial game against Liverpool.

The Reds and the Blues are involved in the battle for Champions League places, with both sides looking as though they may have to fight it out for fifth and last spot in the Premier League, with Manchester United and Aston Villa currently lying further ahead in the top four.

Liverpool holds the advantage heading into the last few weeks of the season, having been sitting four points ahead of Chelsea before the latest round of fixtures this weekend, with the Blues facing United on Saturday before the Reds face Everton on Sunday.

Chelsea’s clash couldn’t have started much worse though, with Rosenior forced into a change early on in the first half as Estevao was forced off.

The winger looked to pull a muscle as he tried to make his way past Luke Shaw, and received treatment on the pitch before having to withdraw, being replaced by former United forward Alejandro Garnacho.

The severity of the injury is not yet known, although Estevao didn’t look comfortable as he made his way off the pitch, which will put his involvement in the game against Liverpool on May 9 into doubt.

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is coming under increasing pressure at Stamford Bridge(Image: Photo by Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)

The Brazilian suffered a hamstring problem in February, and looks as though he may have suffered a similar issue on this occasion. It’s yet another problem for Rosenior, who is already under immense pressure amid Chelsea’s recent poor form.

The Blues were once again without captain Reece James and center-back Levi Colwill against United, although Trevoh Chalobah was able to return on the bench.

Chelsea was handed another injury scare just before half-time when Wesley Fofana went down holding his ribs following a collision, and the Blues had salt rubbed into their wounds as United took the lead through Matheus Cunha while the defender was off the pitch for treatment.

The pressure is on Rosenior to deliver Champions League qualification, and next month’s game at Anfield could prove decisive, although Liverpool will be hoping to open more of a gap to its rivals before then.

"As the season goes on, the less games you have left, the more important the games become," Rosenior said ahead of the weekend.

"We have to take advantage of this moment. We're running out of time.

"We need to show that initiative on Saturday and play on the front foot and make up those points, which is still definitely possible.

"If I look at each game, I think it's just come down to loss of concentration of focus in a moment that then has snowballed into the rest of the performances.

"What we have to do is manage the margins of the game a little bit better."