09 January 2023 , 00:45
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Chelsea boss Graham Potter explained striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed his side’s four-goal FA Cup defeat at Manchester City due to a knee injury.
Blues fans chanted the name of Potter’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel and the club’s former owner Roman Abramovich during their FA Cup loss at Manchester City on Sunday, in a clear message of their current discontent with their current boss and the situation overseen by owner Todd Boehly.
Potter's side have now been dumped out of both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup by Pep Guardiola's side, falling to a humbling four-goal defeat in Sunday’s Third Round clash in the latter.
Riyad Mahrez fired City in front with a delightful free-kick before World Cup winner Julian Alvarez doubled their advantage from the penalty spot before Phil Foden added a third before the break, with Mahrez netting from another spot-kick late on to complete the rout.
Chelsea went into the game with a sizable absentee list reaching double figures as Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling were the latest absentees for the Blues, but Aubameyang was also surprisingly absent from the squad list.
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The Gabonese striker had endured the ignominy midweek of being a substitute in the Premier League defeat against Manchester City to be hauled off in the second half as his side chased an equalising goal – as his struggles to assert himself under Potter continued.
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Aubameyang was a transfer deadline day signing by the Blues last summer in a move which reunited him with former Dortmund boss Tuchel, who was subsequently sacked a week later – with the striker’s fortunes also struggling since.
“Auba felt pain in his back ahead of this one,” Potter explained after the match. “Christian (Pulisic) just opened up his knee in the game the other day, we’re still analysing it but it’s going to be weeks for him. Raheem (Sterling) had an action in the first minute of the game, he felt something in his hamstring, and we’re still analysing that, no timescale yet.”
Aubameyang has struggled to establish himself in Potter's Chelsea XI (Matt Impey/REX/Shutterstock)Alongside their domestic cup exits, Chelsea ’s league form has also plummeted this campaign with Potter’s side languishing in 10th in the Premier League and a whopping 19 points away from league leaders Arsenal. They are also 10 points adrift of a top four spot, with Champions League football next season appearing to be a diminishing prospect.
Sunday’s humbling defeat at the Etihad Stadium marked their seventh defeat in ten matches across all competitions, a run which also included an underwhelming draw at struggling Nottingham Forest in the league.