Sturridge escapes punishment

Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge will not be punished for his clash with Portsmouth's Tommy Smith in Wednesday night's 5-0 victory at Fratton Park, the Football Association have confirmed.

Smith sustained a broken nose after being caught by Sturridge's elbow but the FA have not classed the incident as "off-the-ball", meaning referee Lee Mason was deemed to have dealt with it at the time.

In an incident earlier in the game Sturridge's team-mate Florent Malouda was booked for an aerial collision with defender Ricardo Rocha which resulted in the centre-back sustaining a suspected fractured cheekbone. As Mason dealt with the offence at the time no further action will be taken.

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