It was a debut to forget for Chelsea's Joao Felix, as he received a red card for a horrific tackle in their game against Fulham.
After much speculation, Chelsea won the race to sign Joao Felix form Atletico Madrid on loan until the end of the season.
This was seen as a move to help both Chelsea and Joao Felix. During his time at Atletico, he has shown flashes of what he can do, but never reached his full potential under Diego Simeone.
Chelsea meanwhile, were in desperate need of a forward. A terrible run of form saw them enter tonight's game in 10th place, with just one win in their last eight games.
Summer signings such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have failed to deliver, while a lengthy injury list that saw the likes of Raheem Sterling, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, N'golo Kante and Wesley Fofana out injured hasn't helped their cause.
After back to back defeats to Manchester City, tonight was a must win game for Chelsea, and a chance for Joao Felix to show why he is so highly rated.
Joao Felix Sent Off On Debut
The Portugal forward got off to a bright start, causing the Fulham defence problems and creating a early chance for Kai Havertz that was blocked.
With the game at 1-1 after Kalidou Koulibaly's second half equaliser, Joao Felix made an unnecessary reckless challenge on Fulham's Kenny Tete after a heavy touch.
That's a horror tackle 😳
João Félix is shown a straight red on his Chelsea debut... pic.twitter.com/jn3MKtoHwn— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 12, 2023
Fulham players were furious as they surrounded the referee David Coote, who was left with no choice but to send off Felix for the dangerous tackle.
For Chelsea, the last thing they needed was for Felix to be sent off, who will now face a suspension until February, with the club already in double figures for players missing at a crucial time of the season.
Not to mention that Chelsea are also paying a fee of €11 million for his services until the end of the season.
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