Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell has apologised for being sent off during the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final with Real Madrid.
Earlier in the week, the left-back penned a new long-term contract with the Blues, keeping him at Stamford Bridge until the end of 2026-27 campaign.
However, just over 24 hours after that announcement, the England international found himself receiving a red card in arguably the club's biggest match of the season.
Chelsea had been trailing 1-0 as the game approached the hour mark, and their bid to get back on level terms was made significantly more difficult due to the 26-year-old's rash decision.
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Rodrygo had gotten free behind the Chelsea defence and had set himself up to shoot from the edge of the penalty area, only for Chilwell to cynically tug the Brazilian's shirt to prevent the effort.
Chilwell was subsequently sent off by the referee, offering no complaints as he promptly made his way off the pitch behind the goal.
Fifteen minutes later, Marco Asensio put Los Blancos two goals to the good, and the defending champions were able to establish a 2-0 aggregate lead ahead of next week's reverse fixture in West London.
Chilwell will miss that encounter due to a one-match ban, and he has now taken to social media to acknowledge that he had made "a mistake".
Slept on it, and just want to apologise to my team mates and the fans. I made the decision in a split second last night and it was a mistake. I always give everything for the team and i will continue to do so. Thank you for the support 💙 pic.twitter.com/tyuccXsl1O
— Ben Chilwell (@BenChilwell) April 13, 2023
Unless Chelsea overturn the two-goal deficit on April 18, they will almost certainty not participate in European football's premier competition next season.
As well as being 17 points adrift of fourth position in the Premier League table, Chelsea are also seven points behind seventh-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, who occupy the final European spot.
With Chilwell unavailable for the return match with Real, he could be handed a start by caretaker manager Frank Lampard against the Seagulls on Saturday.
Darren Plant
