Malo Gusto admits Chelsea fears after Liam Delap injury as Cole Palmer also out

Malo Gusto insists Chelsea must maintain their winning streak - because their Club World Cup success could eventually take its toll. Liam Delap limped off with a hamstring problem within the first 14 minutes of Saturday's contentious 2-0 victory against Fulham. Enzo Maresca fears the forward might be sidelined for as long as eight weeks having already lost Cole Palmer to a groin complaint.

Gusto believes Chelsea are potentially paying the price for their achievements, declaring: "It's hard to keep the rhythm after a long season but we are prepared for that, we try to do our best so we are ready. It's no excuse for us, we just have to keep fighting." When pressed on whether the Blues were already experiencing the impact of an extraordinary summer, the Frenchman added: "Now it's the beginning [of the season] so it's okay but maybe it'll be harder a little later in the season. Now we just have to win game after game and see how it goes.

"We're trying to rest a little bit more, I think we need a little bit more rest. But as I said before it's no excuse, we won today because we were prepared for the game."

Joao Pedro maintained his blistering form at Stamford Bridge by scoring his fifth goal in five outings for the Blues. The Brazilian has swiftly established himself as one of Chelsea's key figures and required no adjustment period in west London.

Gusto remains unsurprised, given his admiration for the 23-year-old during his spell at Brighton. The full-back explained: "He's a really good player, a top player and everyone knows he helps us a lot.

"We're very happy to have these types of players, we have a great group for this season so it's our job to do our best and try and win.

"Even when Joao was at Brighton I knew he would be a big player in the future for sure. He's young, he has the talent and he's helped us a lot. Today he showed it again and it's good for us as a club."

Enzo Fernandez also struck from the penalty spot in the second period to seal a hard-earned triumph amid a string of controversial VAR calls.

Gusto insists the Club World Cup champions are savouring the opportunity to clash with Europe's elite once more in the Champions League after being paired with Bayern Munich and Barcelona in their group. Their European campaign kicks off away to Bayern on September 17.

The defender declared: "We're excited, we want to fight against the best teams in the world. It's now on us to show that we deserve to play against them and to fight for the Champions League. Now people respect us, people know we are a good team and we play well, we have to show that again."

Despite Chelsea benefitting from VAR against Fulham, Gusto admits his annoyance at the extent of disruption the technology is causing to matches.

The lengthy delays resulted in eight minutes of added time in both halves - with Pedro's breakthrough arriving in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time. Gusto concluded: "Yeah it's a bit disturbing because we have to play, wait, play again, wait. It's a bit disturbing but it's our job to stay focused on the game and that's what we did today."