Chelsea appeal Courtois red card

The Premier League champions will fight the one-match suspension handed to their No. 1 goalkeeper following his dismissal in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Swansea at Stamford Bridge Chelseawill appeal against the red card shown to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtoisduring Saturday's 2-2draw with Swansea Cityat Stamford Bridge. Courtois, 23, was shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliver for denying Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis a clear goalscoring opportunity in the 52nd minute of Saturday's match with Chelsea 2-1 ahead. Gomis then stepped up to beat Asmir Begovic from the penalty spot to earn a point for Garry Monk's side, and deny Jose Mourinho's side a win in the first game of the defence of their Premier League crown. Courtois' appeal will be heard by the Football Association on Tuesday, with the goalkeeper currently set to miss Sunday's game against expected title rivals Manchester City at the Ethiad Stadium if the one-match ban is upheld. Former top flight official Mark Halsey said on Monday morning that it makes "perfect sense" for Chelsea to appeal the decision, writing for Goal's Referee's Column: "Jose Mourinho should appeal... he has nothing to lose. "The penalty was clear but whether or not to issue a red card was a very difficult decision for Michael Oliver, who is a talented young referee. "He has to judge whether an obvious goalscoring opportunity has been denied, so when the incident occurs he's got to consider a number of factors in a matter of seconds: the distance to the goal, the likelihood of Gomis keeping control of the ball, the direction of play and the location and number of defenders in close proximity. "When you think of the incident in terms of those criteria, is there doubt? I have to say yes. Gomis has touched the ball away from goal and taken himself wide, and Gary Cahill is potentially in a position to cover."