Emi Martinez was stretchered off during the second-half in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Everton

Xabi Alonso has confirmed Emi Martinez left the stadium conscious after being stretchered off with a head injury.

The Argentinian was carried off at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and taken to a local hospital after a sickening clash of heads with Jarrad Branthwaite. The England defender careered into the shot-stopper from a cross, leaving the pair stricken on the turf, forcing the game to be delayed for over 10 minutes.

Martinez made a number of crucial saves in the encounter, including a reflex save from Jack Grealish's volley, which looked set to loop in before the goalkeeper's intervention. Although Chelsea eventually ran out 2-0 winners, the health of the World Cup-winning overshadowed another win for the Spanish tactician.

The Chelsea boss said: "As far as I know, he left the stadium conscious; he's in the hospital doing precautionary tests.Let's see. This is all I know so far."

Chelsea had a slender one-goal lead at the time due to Pedro Neto's opener early on in the second-half. The Portuguese rubber-stamped the points in stoppage-time when he curled home the second.

Mike Penders replaced Martinez for his first Premier League appearance and became Chelsea's youngest top-flight goalkeeper aged just 21. He stood firm in the closing stages to help the Blues to their first clean sheet in nine months.

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