Cesar Azpilicueta final day red card overturned by FA

Cesar Azpilicueta's red card that he picked up during Chelsea's final day defeat to Aston Villa has been rescinded by the Football Association.

The defender reacted angrily to a late challenge by Jack Grealish, making contact with the Villa captain's face when the pair were on the floor before pushing him away. Referee Stuart Attwell showed Azpilicueta a straight red card for the offence.

After the game Blues boss Thomas Tuchel was critical of Attwell's performance, questioning both Azpilicueta's dismissal and the decision to award Villa a penalty in the first half. Somewhat surprisingly the red card has now been overturned, meaning he will no longer miss the start of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

"An independent Regulatory Commission has removed Cesar Azpilicueta's three-match suspension following a successful claim of wrongful dismissal. The Chelsea FC defender was dismissed for violent conduct during the Premier League fixture against Aston Villa FC on Sunday," an FA statement read.

The news caps off a good couple of days for Azpilicueta. On Monday he was named in the Spain squad for Euro 2020 and despite their defeat Chelsea ended up securing a top four spot. After not featuring regularly under Frank Lampard, Azpilicueta has been a mainstay of Tuchel's side, missing just two Premier League games since the German took over in January.

The Blues captain will now turn his attention to the biggest game of his career, Saturday's Champions League final against Manchester City. Competition for places is fierce but he should get the nod at right wing-back with Reece James impressing as part of Tuchel's back three.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are still sweating over the fitness of N'Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy. Tuchel gave a positive injury update earlier this week but they could still miss out on Saturday.