Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has said he substituted Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech as a precaution in Sunday’s goalless draw with Wolves.

Tuchel spoke to Chelsea website after the back-to-back Premier League draw that left them six points off the pace with leaders and holders Manchester City.

“We can survive the game but at some point we will pay the price, for sure,” he told Chelsea website.

“Maybe we already have with all our midfielders. Trevoh hopefully it’s just painful. At the moment it’s very painful. We still hope it’s not serious, but we need to wait for further examination.

“Hakim I don’t think it’s bad. He got hit on the nerve on his calf, and it was tight so we had to take him off.”

Tuchel insisted that the match should not have taken place as most players have been affected by Covid-19.

“In the end, you try to focus,” Tuchel told the website.

Chelsea dropped the points before City thrashed Newcastle United 4-0 to go three points ahead of second-placed Liverpool who settled for a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur also on Sunday.