Chelsea secured a valuable 2-0 away victory over Everton, but the win was overshadowed by a horrific injury suffered by their Argentine goalkeeper, Emiliano Martínez.
“Dibu” left the pitch on a stretcher during the second half following a heavy clash of heads with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite as he rushed out to punch away a set-piece inside the penalty area.
Both players went down, before Branthwaite got back to his feet after undergoing concussion checks, while Martínez remained down and received treatment for around 10 minutes amid growing anxiety among the players and coaching staff.
The Argentine goalkeeper left conscious and able to move his arms, though medical staff stabilized his neck before transferring him to hospital for necessary examinations, with no definitive diagnosis regarding the nature of his injury released as yet.
Xabi Alonso was forced to introduce young Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders from the bench to make his Premier League debut, and he managed to keep a clean sheet through the remaining minutes and the lengthy stoppage time.
Chelsea had taken the lead just 43 seconds into the second half when Pedro Neto capitalized on Jorrel Hato’s surge down the left flank, slotting the ball underneath Jordan Pickford’s arm.
Neto returned to secure the three points in the 90th minute, pouncing on a loose ball inside the box to take a touch before firing into the far corner to complete his brace and hand Chelsea their first Premier League clean sheet since January.
