The Frenchman recently made his debut for the Blues after a serious knee injury, but he is back on the sidelines with a fresh hip problem.

There is no return date for Nkunku at the moment and when asked by BBC Sport, he was hopeful that the forward will be ready as soon as possible.

He said after the derby win: "We are talking, we are assessing the squad. I think Nkunku is going to be ready as soon as possible."

Chelsea 's victory over Fulham has taken them to ninth on the table with 31 points and they are now nine points behind the top four.

The gap could extend if Arsenal beat Crystal Palace next weekend, but the Blues have certainly been improving over recent weeks.

The club have won four of their last five league games and are currently one of the most in-form teams in the English top-flight.

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