Marcos Alonso's Yellow Card Against Southampton Deemed 'Suspicious' by Fans

Chelsea kept the pressure on the Manchester clubs at the top of the table after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Southampton at the weekend, however it didn't come without controversy.

Marcos Alonso's free-kick in first half stoppage time was enough to give the Blues the three points, but Alonso hit the headlines for another reason.

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He was booked in the fourth minute of added time for taking his time on taking a corner, but what seemed at the time as an innocuous yellow card for time wasting, fans are now beginning to realise it may have been a tactical move by the Spaniard.

It was his fifth yellow card of the season, meaning he will now serve a one-game suspension, and the game he will be suspended for is Chelsea's Carabao Cup tie against Bournemouth on Wednesday night. 

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Alonso himself is yet to feature in a Carabao Cup game this season, meaning there is a high chance he would've been rested for the game - with a tough trip to Everton next Saturday in Antonio Conte's mind. 

However, the suspension means Alonso will definitely miss the game, and his slate of cards will now be wiped clean ahead of his return to Premier League action.

Fans have seen this as suspicious, and have urged the FA to take further action, however the FA themselves are yet to comment on the matter and instead the fans took to Twitter to vent their anger.

A similar incident happened in the Champions League earlier this season. Real Madrid qualified for the last-16 with two games to spare, and full-back Dani Carvajal knew that should he pick up a yellow-card in Madrid's penultimate group game, he would serve a one-game ban during their dead-rubber matchup with Borussia Dortmund, and would wipe his slate of yellow cards clean.

He did just that, picking up a yellow card for time-wasting in injury time when Madrid already lead APOEL Nicosia 6-0. UEFA investigated the incident further, and deemed Carvajal's yellow card to be deliberate, and instead banned the Spaniard for two games for his actions.

As it stands, Alonso will be back in time to face Everton at Goodison Park next weekend, however the FA may be tempted to investigate further into the incident before then.