Chelsea’s early-season injury problems deepened last night when Didier Drogba was taken off on a stretcher after suffering knee ligament damage during the goalless Champions League draw against CFR Cluj in Romania. The Ivory Coast striker will have a scan today but is likely to be out for at least six weeks.

Luiz Felipe Scolari will discover the full cost of a dispiriting night in the foothills of the Transylvanian Alps when he checks with his club’s medical department this morning, but the Chelsea manager will be forced to field a severely weakened team when Aston Villa, the side in third place, take on the Barclays Premier League leaders at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

With John Terry (back) and Alex (buttock) also picking up injuries last night — Ashley Cole was ruled out just before kick-off with a sore back, although he is expected to be fit for the weekend — the Brazilian conceded that he may struggle to raise a side, with eight first-team players carrying knocks. Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and Deco are definitely out and Joe Cole is doubtful after being left at home with a hip injury.

“I need to think for the game on Sunday how many players I will have and try to recuperate some players. We will have to assess them and see how bad they are,” Scolari said, adding that “injuries in football are normal”.

Drogba was tentatively feeling his way back from a second operation in six months on his left knee that caused him to miss the first five weeks of the season, although it is his right knee that is affected this time. He went down under a challenge from De Sousa in the 57th minute and was immediately sent to hospital, but Scolari had no complaints about the tackle. Drogba returned on crutches with his right leg in a cast and was taken to the airport in a separate car.

Scolari conceded that his side did not perform to the standard he expects, though he was pleased to come away with a point that leaves them in control of group A. “It was difficult, we did not play well and the players know that, but one point is better than zero,” Scolari said.

“We didn’t play the same as other games, but now I’m happy with one point. Cluj were confident, they wanted to prove something. A 0-0 draw was not a bad result.”

By contrast, things could not have gone much better for Liverpool as they sauntered to a 3-1 victory against PSV Eindhoven at Anfield that leaves them well-placed to qualify from group D. It was a night of milestones, with Robbie Keane claiming his first goal for the club and Steven Gerrard his hundredth in Rafael Benítez’s 250th match in charge.

Dirk Kuyt got the ball rolling in the fifth minute before Keane drew rapturous applause with his first goal in 11 matches after his £20.3 million summer move from Tottenham Hotspur. Gerrard completed the romp with a trademark 30-yard free kick to reach his century. Danny Koevermans claimed a consolation goal for PSV late on.

“It was a good day, there were a lot of positive things,” Benítez said. “It was important for Robbie to score his first goal and important for us. Hopefully it will be the first of many. Maybe now we can talk about when he will score his first goal in the Premier League for us.”

Benítez was equally effusive in his praise of Gerrard, 28. “Going forward, he is one of the best midfielders in the world,” he said. “One hundred goals means he can score many more because he is still a young man. He can maybe score 200, you never know.”

Gerrard said: “It’s always a fantastic feeling and experience to score in front of the Kop and that made it all the sweeter. It’s nice to say thank you to the fans for all the support they’ve given me over the years.”