LIVERPOOL — Emiliano Martinez was taken to hospital for "precautionary tests" after suffering a concussion during Chelsea's 2-0 Premier League victory over Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday. The Argentina goalkeeper, who joined Chelsea from Aston Villa for £7.5m, collided with Jarrad Branthwaite in the 68th minute and was replaced after an eight-minute stoppage as Pedro Neto's brace sealed the Blues' first clean sheet in 23 matches.
Martinez had helped Chelsea end a nine-month wait for a Premier League clean sheet stretching back to a 2-0 win against Brentford in January, before the incident overshadowed the result. He collided with Branthwaite while attempting to claim a cross from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's free-kick and was replaced by Mike Penders, who made his Premier League debut for Chelsea and saw out the remainder of the match. Asked about the incident, head coach Xabi Alonso said: "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," adding: "What we know is that he left the stadium conscious and is now in hospital undergoing precautionary tests. We need to wait. Hopefully it will not be too serious, but at the moment we just have to wait."
The victory was secured by two goals from Neto and came despite Chelsea having conceded a league-high 13 goals before kick-off. Everton managed just six shots, their fewest in a Premier League game since recording five against Arsenal last December, while Chelsea conceded only one clear-cut opportunity and allowed their lowest expected goals against figure against top-flight opposition this season at 0.45. Alonso's side started with a back three of Josh Acheampong, Maxence Lacroix and Levi Colwill, with Neto and Jorrel Hato operating as wing-backs, while Moises Caicedo and new signing Jordan Henderson brought solidity in midfield and £117m club-record signing Morgan Rogers set the tone by squaring up to James Tarkowski. Alonso added: "We needed to show that we can win in this way. We looked solid, we played solidly, we were strong and we stayed in control."
Doubts now surround whether Martinez will be fit for Chelsea's next three matches against Tottenham and Manchester United in the Premier League, with a Carabao Cup tie at Liverpool in between, with Premier League protocols typically requiring a minimum 14-day return-to-play process if concussion is confirmed. Penders, who became Chelsea's youngest goalkeeper to play in the Premier League at the age of 21 and has made 81 senior appearances in his career to date, could be called upon after joining from Genk for £17m in 2024 before loans back to Genk and at sister club Strasbourg. Frequently compared to Thibaut Courtois, the 6ft 7in Belgium understudy has worked with renowned youth coaches Guy Martens and Gilbert Roex, who said: "We have produced a lot of great goalkeepers, but Mike is the one with the potential to reach the same level as Thibaut. His sense of calm is gold in goalkeeping." The result builds on Pedro Neto's brace in the 2-0 win at Everton as Chelsea look to address their defensive record.