Sawt Falasteen - Maresca fears Chelsea striker Delap faces fresh injury setback

Delap suffered the blow in the 30th minute after grappling with Bournemouth defender Marcus Senesi at a corner.

He left the pitch using his shirt as a makeshift sling and Maresca does not expect him back soon.

Delap's latest fitness setback came after a groin injury sustained against Fulham in August cost Delap two months of his first season with the club following his summer move from Ipswich.

Yet to score his first Premier League goal for Chelsea, Delap's absence adds to Maresca's problems after the Blues failed to win for a third successive game.

"He was already out two months and he has to be out again," said Maresca. "We don't know for how long but it looks quite bad, his shoulder.

"He has been unlucky. We are a bit unlucky because we need that kind of number nine. We tried today it with Marc."

After a poor first half, Chelsea were improved in the second period and had chances to win through Pedro Neto, who forced a good save from Djordje Petrovic, and Alejandro Garnacho, who headed Neto's cross against the post.

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer, back after two months out with injuries, was given just less than an hour in his first start since September.

But Palmer wasted his only chance as fourth-placed Chelsea failed to take advantage of leaders Arsenal's 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday.

"We missed some quality in the last third," said Maresca, whose team are eight points behind Arsenal.

"Many mistakes, missed passes in the last third, moments where we could shoot.

"It's normal mistakes that can happen, the last pass in the last third. Cole was quite good on that, he played an hour today. It's important for him to build physical condition.

"A lack of quality in the last third but we know that we're not going to score every game."

K.AbuTaha--SF-PST