Pedro Neto scored twice after the interval as Chelsea beat Everton 2-0 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, a result overshadowed by concern for goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was stretchered off and taken to hospital following a collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite.
Martinez, 34, had been commanding before coming off his line to contest a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall free-kick in the 67th minute. He and Branthwaite met at speed as both challenged for the ball, and both players went to ground. The Everton centre-back recovered to continue after treatment for a cut to his nose and lower lip, but Martinez required lengthy attention from Chelsea's physios and paramedics, including oxygen on the pitch, before being carried away on a stretcher with his neck supported. He was replaced in the 75th minute by 21-year-old Mike Penders, who became Chelsea's youngest-ever Premier League goalkeeper on his debut in the competition.
Xabi Alonso confirmed Martinez had been taken to hospital for precautionary tests and that he was conscious when he left the stadium. "It was a concussion, but beyond that I do not know. I have only seen one clip of the incident, so we need to wait," the Chelsea manager said. Everton counterpart David Moyes said he had not been able to see the incident clearly from the dugout and expressed genuine hope that Martinez would be fine.
The injury arrived at a point when Chelsea were already in front. Neto had opened the scoring just 44 seconds after the restart, with Jorrel Hato's cutback taking a deflection off James Tarkowski before reaching the winger, who picked his spot past Pickford's dive to his left. It was a goal that followed a fractious first half in which Paul Tierney issued five yellow cards — the first time that had happened in a Premier League match since February — and a flashpoint that could have shifted the match decisively. Morgan Rogers, already booked, escaped a second yellow card from Tierney after a lunging challenge on James Garner, with VAR upholding the on-field decision.
The escape proved significant. Rogers's driving run shortly after the restart created the move from which Neto scored the opener, with Jorrel Hato providing the key pass. Chelsea had come closest to breaking the deadlock before the break when Moises Caicedo, deputising as captain for the injured Reece James, struck a thunderous volley from a Jordan Henderson corner that crashed against the crossbar. Maxence Lacroix also had a header cleared off the line in first-half stoppage time. Everton's clearest chance fell to Thierno Barry, who headed a Jack Grealish cross straight at Martinez from close range.
After Martinez's departure, Everton managed a single shot on target in the second half, ending the match with six shots in total — their fewest in a Premier League game since recording five against Arsenal last December. With the hosts pushing men forward, Neto sealed the points in the 90th minute when Henderson's free-kick struck Barry, rebounded around the area via Tyrique George and Vitalii Mykolenko, and dropped to the winger, who rolled a confident finish into the bottom corner past Pickford's dive.
"The big moments have belonged to Pedro Neto," Owen Hargreaves said on TNT Sports. "He's definitely an unsung hero in this Chelsea team."
The clean sheet was Chelsea's first in the Premier League in 23 matches, and their first since a 2-0 victory against Brentford in January. Penders, signed from Genk for £17m in 2024 before loan spells at that club and subsequently at Strasbourg, was barely tested after coming on. Chelsea have now collected 13 points from their opening seven matches, while Everton — who have scored eight goals from seven league games this season — suffered their first defeat of the campaign.
Reporting: Mirror, BBC Sport, Evening Standard, Football.London, Football Insider, CaughtOffside, RTÉ, ESPN, The Telegraph, TeamTalk, GiveMeSport, Metro, Sky Sports, The Guardian.