The reason for Marc Cucurella's absence for Chelsea against Crystal Palace has been revealed.
Ben Chilwell came in for the Spaniard as Graham Potter registered his first win in his maiden Premier League match as head coach for the Blues.
Odsonne Edouard opened the scoring for the hosts, getting onto a Jordan Ayew cross to fire past Kepa Arrizabalaga.
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted his first Chelsea goal before half-time to bring his side level, performing a fantastic turn and shot to see the Blues equalise before the break.
5 Things Learned: Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea | Premier League
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Chelsea dominated the second period, with Cucurella's replacement, Chilwell, firing over.
The winner came in the dying minutes as former Crystal Palace loanee Conor Gallagher fired a curling shot into the net on his return to Selhurst Park.
Much of the speculation before the game came through Cucurella's absense as Potter confirmed an illness.
Player Ratings: Crystal Palace 1-2 Chelsea | Premier League
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"We have a bit of illness with Marc Cucurella," Potter confirmed on Friday.
The extent of his illness has now been revealed following Chelsea's victory at Selhurt Park.
As reported by Nathan Gissing, Cucurella had a throat problem.
He was unavailable for selection for Chelsea due to currently being in hospital.
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It has also been revealed that he is expected to return for Chelsea next week.
It remains unclear as to whether he will be in contention to face AC Milan at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League, but he should return in time to face Wolves in the Premier League.
This comes as a boost to Chelsea, who could also see Edouard Mendy and N'Golo Kante return next week.
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The Blues will be hoping to push one when their injured players return as they look to compete on all fronts this season.
Topics:Â Chelsea, Marc Cucurella, Graham Potter, Football, Premier League
Nick Emms