Chelsea's Ramires slapped with four-match ban for violent conduct

Chelsea midfielder Ramires will miss the Blues' title run-in after accepting a four-match ban for violent conduct.

The Brazilian had until Thursday evening to respond to a Football Association charge for striking Sunderland's Sebastian Larsson in an off-the-ball incident on Saturday and chose not to contest it.

Having already been sent off against Aston Villa last month, he received an additional one-match ban on top of the regular three games.

That rules him out of Sunday's visit to title rivals Liverpool - a match for which Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has already threatened to play a weakened team - as well as meetings with Norwich and Cardiff.

The fourth and final match of the ban will cover the first domestic game of next season.