Chelsea secured a significant 2-0 victory against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, highlighted by two goals from Pedro Neto. The result ended the London club’s nine-month wait for a Premier League clean sheet, a challenging streak that had spanned 23 matches. A run stretching back 23 matches, martinez had earlier played his part in the Blues securing a first Premier League clean sheet in nine months.
However, the win was clouded by an injury to goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who joined the club from Aston Villa for £7.5m. In the 68th minute, Martinez collided with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite while attempting to reach a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall free-kick. The collision led to an eight-minute delay in play before he was substituted for Mike Penders, who successfully saw out the game to make his league debut.
Manager Xabi Alonso confirmed after the match that the goalkeeper had suffered a concussion. Martinez was transported to a hospital to undergo what the club described as precautionary tests. Alonso noted, “It was a concussion, but beyond that I do not know. I have only seen one clip of the incident, so we need to wait.”
Alonso added that Martinez had left the stadium conscious and that the medical staff is currently waiting for results. “Hopefully it will not be too serious, but at the moment we just have to wait,” the manager said. The status of the Argentina international for Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures remains uncertain.
The club faces a demanding schedule ahead, with upcoming Premier League clashes against Tottenham and Manchester United, plus a Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool. Whether Martinez will be available for these matches remains to be seen as the team monitors his recovery.
