Chelsea win 2-0 at Everton as Martinez taken to hospital
Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, with Pedro Neto scoring both goals in a win overshadowed by a serious injury to goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez was taken to hospital for precautionary tests after the match, but left the stadium conscious. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso later confirmed the goalkeeper had suffered concussion, according to BBC Sport.
The incident came in the 68th minute. Martinez went up to claim a cross from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's free-kick and collided heavily with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Play stopped for eight minutes while he received treatment on the pitch.
Branthwaite underwent a concussion test and was allowed to continue. Martinez could not. He was replaced by 20-year-old Mike Penders, who came on for his Premier League debut and helped see out the win.
Alonso gave his update on Martinez in an interview with TNT Sports, via Yahoo Sports. The early signs were reassuring. Conscious. Talking. Sent for further checks.
The result itself was a big one for Chelsea. It was their first Premier League clean sheet, football shorthand for a game without conceding a goal, in nine months. They had gone 23 league matches without one since a 2-0 win over Brentford in January.
That drought had hurt them. Chelsea arrived on Merseyside having conceded a league-high 13 goals this season. Here, they looked far more secure.
Everton managed only six shots. That was their fewest in a Premier League game since they had five against Arsenal last December. Chelsea also limited Everton to 0.45 expected goals, a measure of chance quality, their lowest figure against top-flight opposition this season.
Alonso described the performance as "mature", according to NBC Sports. It ended Everton's unbeaten start to the season and gave Chelsea something solid to build on.
For fans, this means two stories to follow. One is Martinez and his recovery. The other is whether a young stand-in and a first shutout since January can lift the mood around Chelsea's defence.
