Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 but lost Emiliano Martinez, carried off on a stretcher

An off-centre free kick for Everton, a keeper coming for the ball, a clash of heads with Jarrad Branthwaite: Emiliano Martinez stayed down and the match stopped. Nearly ten minutes later, the Argentine goalkeeper left the Hill Dickinson Stadium pitch on a stretcher, his head held in a neck brace. So Foot described him leaving in tears; Foot Mercato, covering the game live, reported that he was conscious and shook Joao Pedro’s hand before going. Mike Penders finished the match in the Chelsea goal.

Carried off, with no medical update

The scene came in the 68th minute, from that free kick for the Toffees. Branthwaite, down for three minutes after the clash, got back up; his goalkeeper never set foot on the pitch again. Channel Canal+ Foot called it a huge scare and noted that the Blues keeper had stayed down with the physios for nearly ten minutes, as relayed by Foot Mercato. When these reports were published, no examination or length of absence had been announced.

Neto doubles up, Chelsea keep a first clean sheet in 22

The game had turned straight after the break. Pedro Neto opened the scoring in the 46th minute from Jorrel Hato’s cutback and struck again in the 90th after a free kick deflected by the wall: the first Premier League double of his career. Caicedo had hit the crossbar in the 41st. Chelsea kept their goal untouched for the first time in 22 matches and made it two wins in a row after the 5-1 against Bournemouth. Everton, playing for a seventh straight game without defeat, never looked dangerous going forward.

What it means for bettors

The Everton or draw double chance I took at 1.73 with 1xbet in the match preview has lost: the public record will show it. Before pricing any Chelsea game, I now watch the Martinez file: with no layoff announced, there is no telling who will keep the goal in the coming weeks. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.