Your Chelsea morning digest on Sunday, September 4.
Tuchel gives VAR verdict
Thomas Tuchel went against the general grain in his post-match press conference, admitting that he thought the VAR decision to disallow Maxwell Cornet's 90th minute equaliser was correct.
Chelsea looked to have squandered a late winner themselves after Kai Havertz's volleyed finish was soon cancelled out by Cornet, only for VAR to overturn the goal due to a foul on Edouard Mendy by Jared Bowen in the build-up.
The decision has since been blasted by West Ham's players, but Tuchel said, "It was a clear foul on the goalkeeper. I had doubts about the first one - but I will not comment. Last time I got punished with huge fines. You give your opinion. You will not be fined."
READ MORE: UEFA put Chelsea, Man City, Barcelona and more clubs on FFP watchlist and make financial request
Aubameyang gets mask fitted ahead of debut
Chelsea are doing everything it takes to see Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang return to action after suffering an injury prior to penning a deadline-day switch from Barcelona. The 33-year-old's jaw was broken by house robbers just days before swapping the Camp Nou for Stamford Bridge.
So, according to The Times, the Blues flew Aubameyang out to Milan to be fitted with a playing mask so that he can feature for the club as soon as possible. The striker was attacked and robbed at his home in Castelldefels by four people wearing masks, who were armed with guns and iron bars, Barcelona officials confirmed on Monday, August 29.
The former Arsenal captain will be treated by Milan-based orthopaedic specialists Ortholabsport. Thomas Tuchel has refused to rule Aubameyang out of Tuesday night's Champions League group stage opener versus Dinamo Zagreb, when he could make his debut.
Tuchel explains why Gilmour was sold
Thomas Tuchel has explained why Billy Gilmour bizarrely left Chelsea amid the club's injury crisis. The 21-year-old was tipped by many for a bright future at Stamford Bridge so, when the club decided to cash-in, the sale came as a huge shock; even more so with the Blues having suffered numerous injuries in midfield this season.
Giving Gilmour a harsh, but honest, verdict on his time at Stamford Bridge, Tuchel said: "We had high hopes and he played for us in the first half-a-year when I was at Chelsea, played some important matches for us and looked for a new challenge that did not go so well for him with Norwich.
"We expected more, he expected more so it was like, without pointing a finger, but it is difficult also for him and for us to not succeed, to not play at Norwich, to be relegated and then suddenly be a central midfielder for Chelsea and competing for top four and for every title.
"There's a huge step in between so we were looking. The ideal solution would have been maybe that he goes again on loan as the concurrence is huge for us in central midfield and we felt like he is not the age where he can live again with five or seven or eight matches during a whole season to fulfil his own potential so ideally it would have been another loan. Billy did not want to go on loan, it was a no-go for him so in the end we agreed to a sale."
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