Joao Pedro faces injury assessment after Chelsea's 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham

Chelsea suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham on Sunday — their first such loss at Stamford Bridge to their London rivals since 2018 — with top scorer Joao Pedro absent after picking up a fluid problem in his knee during Friday’s training session. Manager Xabi Alonso confirmed the striker requires further assessment before the full extent of the injury is known.

“Yesterday in training he felt something, and at the moment he has some liquid, so we have to do some tests to know how big the injury is,” Alonso said. “It’s disappointing, but we need to carry on.”

Pedro, who has contributed five goals and three assists in the Premier League this season, had already missed Chelsea’s match against Brentford before the September international break due to a knee injury, also withdrawing from Brazil duty at that time. He returned to score twice against Bournemouth and completed 90 minutes against Everton the previous weekend, making his latest setback a significant concern for the club.

Alonso offered little clarity on a timeline after the final whistle. “We don’t know yet because he has a lot of fluid,” he said. “He felt it yesterday and we need to wait probably until tomorrow to do the test and to know the whole situation and the whole seriousness of the injury — we will know soon enough.”

Chelsea’s injury concerns do not end with Pedro. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will be sidelined for several weeks following surgery on a fractured jaw sustained in a collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite during last weekend’s 2-0 win. Mike Penders has stepped in as his replacement.

“He’s been better; he had the surgery. We still need to wait,” Alonso said of Martinez. “A few weeks — hopefully less than more.”

The combination of Pedro’s absence and Martinez’s unavailability leaves Alonso managing a stretched squad at a delicate point in the season, with Chelsea’s attacking options and first-choice goalkeeper both sidelined by injury.