Everton have been dealt a blow ahead of tomorrow's visit of Chelsea after influential midfielder Marouane Fellaini was ruled out of the match with an ankle injury picked up in Saturday's Merseyside derby.

Fellaini had to leave the 1-0 loss to Liverpool after just 35 minutes following a tackle from Sotirios Kyrgiakos for which the Greek defender received a red card.

An immediate scan suggested that no serious had been done to Fellaini's joint but it remained heavily swollen and as such, Everton planned to send the player to see a specialist in London today. Due to logistical difficulties, however, that has not happened.

"We sent him to see the specialist this morning but the trains were cancelled so we will have to try again on Thursday," said the Everton manager, David Moyes. "He's had further scans but until the swelling goes down it is difficult to properly assess the injury."

In Fellaini's absence, Mikel Arteta, who came on for the Belgian at Anfield, is likely to start against the Premier League leaders.