‘I’ll be back in few weeks ‘- Chelsea’s goalkeeper Martinez after undergoing surgery
Emi Martinez has undergone surgery following a head injury sustained during Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton on Saturday, with the goalkeeper saying he expects to return in a few weeks.
The Argentina international, 34, suffered the injury in the 67th minute at Hill Dickinson Stadium when he collided with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite while attempting to punch an Everton free kick away from his penalty area.
Both players received treatment on the pitch, but Branthwaite recovered quickly, while Martínez required extended medical attention from Chelsea’s medical staff and paramedics.
The goalkeeper was eventually stretchered off the pitch while receiving oxygen and was replaced by 21-year-old Mike Penders in the 75th minute.
The lengthy stoppage resulted in 11 minutes of added time at the end of the match.
Martinez later shared a photograph of himself in a hospital bed on social media, reassuring fans that his operation had been successful.
“Thank you all for the messages, the operation went well. The most important thing is that we won and with a bow at 0. We’ll be back in a few weeks,” he wrote.
Chelsea coach Xabi Alonso had earlier confirmed that Martinez was conscious when he left the stadium and had been taken to hospital for precautionary examinations.
“For now, we need to wait,” Alonso told reporters.
He added: “It was a concussion, but more than that. I saw just one clip, but we’ll have to wait.”
Chelsea secured all three points through two goals from Pedro Neto, ending Everton’s unbeaten start to the campaign and keeping
their first clean sheet of the season.
Neto dedicated the victory to the injured goalkeeper, telling TNT Sports: “We are really pleased. Shame for Emi, but we wish you
all the best. This win is for him.”
Everton manager David Moyes also expressed concern over Martínez’s condition, saying he had not seen the incident clearly from the dugout.
“I just said to TV, I’ve not seen the Martínez injury yet, so I hope he’s fine. I really do. I couldn’t even see from the dugout. It just looked as if it was a sharing ball in between a couple of people. I don’t know what else happened,” Moyes said.
Reflecting on Chelsea’s performance, Alonso praised his players for their defensive discipline and ability to withstand pressure away from home.
“I’m really pleased with the performance, with the win, with the clean sheet,” Alonso said. “There are many positives to build on from today. We knew it was going to be a hard challenge to win in this stadium, but we did many things to deserve the win. I think we got many things right. We were very professional, very solid, and it’s good to have this feeling to win this way.
“We needed to feel like we could win in this way — being solid, being strong, looking in control and going through difficult moments.
“In the first half, there were moments where there were corners and throw-ins and you need to overcome these moments. It’s very hard in the Premier League to have full control of the game but you need to make sure you don’t lose your shape or your condition, and today we did that really well.
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