Chelsea sink Everton 2-0, lose Martinez to head injury

By Tosin Omojola

Chelsea recorded their first away win of the season on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Everton, but the Blues suffered a major setback as goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was stretchered off with a serious-looking head injury.

The Argentina World Cup winner sustained the injury in the 75th minute after clashing heads with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite while challenging for the ball.

Branthwaite was able to continue after receiving treatment, but the game was delayed for 10 minutes as Martinez received medical attention.

The 34-year-old, who was seen moving his arms as he was carried off the pitch, was replaced by Mike Penders.

Chelsea secured the victory through two second-half goals from wing-back Pedro Neto, who struck at both ends of the half.

Neto opened the scoring after converting Jorrel Hato’s deflected cutback before sealing the win late in the game with a composed finish into the bottom corner after Jordan Henderson’s free-kick struck the wall.

The victory gave Chelsea their first Premier League clean sheet in nine months, while Everton suffered their first league defeat of the season.

The result lifted Chelsea to fourth place in the table, with Everton dropping to sixth, pending the outcome of the remaining weekend fixtures.