Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson has escaped punishment for shoving a hand into the face of Nottingham Forest substitute Morato.
Jackson will not face any retrospective action for the incident, which is a boost to Chelsea, who will have Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana suspended for their next game against Liverpool.
Chelsea still face the prospect of being fined yet again after they and Forest were charged by the FA for failing to control their players during a late brawl in Sunday’s 1-1 draw, in which Jackson lashed out at Morato.
Losing Jackson for any length of time would have been a big blow to Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca, but the Senegal international will be available to face Liverpool.
Jackson has scored four goals this season and has developed a potent understanding with Chelsea’s star player, Cole Palmer.
The Football Association confirmed that the incident involving Jackson, who had already been substituted at the time, was looked at by VAR and the report of referee Christopher Kavanagh was reviewed.
On the bust-up between the two teams, an FA spokesperson said: “Chelsea and Nottingham Forest have been charged after the mass confrontation at their Premier League fixture on Sunday, 6 October. It’s alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the 88th minute. Chelsea and Nottingham Forest have until Thursday, 10 October, to provide their responses.”
Chelsea will already have to pay a £50,000 fine for having six or more players booked for the second time this season, having also done so against Bournemouth, for which they were fined £25,000.
Cucurella and Fofana will serve one-match suspensions after becoming the first Premier League players to reach five bookings this season, in just seven games.
Chelsea are on course to smash their own unwanted Premier League record after picking up an astonishing 27 yellow cards in their opening seven games.
Maresca’s team are averaging almost four yellow cards a game, which means, if they continue at the same rate, Chelsea are on course to finish the League season with just over 146 bookings.
That would comfortably beat the Premier League record for bookings across a season that Chelsea set last term by finishing the campaign with 105 yellow cards, four more than previous record holders Leeds United.
