According to a report by the Evening Standard on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso says goalkeeper Emi Martinez was taken to the hospital for precautionary tests after sustaining an apparent head injury in Chelsea’s 2-0 Premier League win over Everton.

The Argentine shot-stopper had to be stretchered off in the second half after a horrifying aerial challenge with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The collision left both defenders sprawled on the turf as the medical staff rushed to the scene to give them first aid.

However, it appears Martinez suffered the more severe injury and had to be attended to by the trainers for about ten minutes before being transported to the nearest hospital.

Meanwhile, his Everton counterpart continued to play as he regained consciousness.

Later, Alonso spoke about the scary incident and said Martinez was conscious when they took him to the hospital.

“He left the pitch conscious, he went to the hospital for precautionary tests, and we will see the results of those tests,” said Alonso.

Martinez was in brilliant form before the injury, posting crucial saves to keep out the Toffees’ frontiersmen.

In the first half alone, he thwarted a close-range header by Everton’s Thierno Barry and a powerful drive by Jack Grealish.

The clean sheet Martinez was about to record would have been a remarkable achievement for the Blues, who had struggled to keep multiple shots on target all season.

However, the good work had to be halted when the goalkeeper left the game. He was replaced in the 72nd minute by Belgium youngster Mike Penders, who acquitted himself well in the remainder of the game.

It was a day to forget for Martinez, who scored two important goals and set up another for Blues star Pedro Neto.

The Portuguese winger opened the scoring for his team in the 44th second of the second half and then scored again in the 90th minute. The victory ended a nine-month goal drought for the Blues in the English top division.

Although the outcome was perfect for Alonso’s men, the head coach was still concerned about Martinez’s health. Neto spoke about their team’s feelings towards Martinez after the match.

“He scores two beautiful goals, and we are happy about the clean sheet and the victory, but the most important thing is that he is okay. We are all thinking about him right now,” said the Spanish winger.

The winger scored the winning brace and gave a heartfelt message to his injured teammate. “I hope he is okay.

We are all thinking of him, even though today we are delighted with the victory and the clean sheet,” said Neto.