By Samuel Akpan
Emiliano Martinez was carried off on a stretcher with a serious-looking head injury as Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea claimed a 2-0 Premier League victory at Everton.
The 34-year-old Argentina World Cup winner and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite clashed heads competing for the ball in the 75th minute.
Branthwaite resumed after treatment, but play stopped for 10 minutes while Martinez received medical attention.
Martinez, who moved his arms as he left the pitch, was replaced by 21-year-old Belgian Mike Penders, who made his Premier League debut.
The keeper went straight to hospital, with Chelsea awaiting further updates on his condition.
Wing-back Pedro Neto settled the contest with a brace, his first double in a Premier League game during his 187th English top-flight appearance.
He struck in the first minute of the second half from Jorrel Hato’s deflected cutback, then rolled home a late finish into the bottom corner after Jordan Henderson’s free-kick struck the wall.
Cole Palmer registered six shots, one a clever lob from Morgan Rogers’ through ball that landed on the net roof.
The result secured Chelsea’s first Premier League clean sheet in nine months, snapping a 22-game defensive drought. It marked their first away shutout since defeating Bournemouth on December 6, 2025, and their first in the league since beating Brentford on January 17..
Meanwhile, the defeat handed Everton their first loss of the league season.
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