Chelsea keeper out for few weeks after jaw fracture

Chelsea football club will be without their goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for a few weeks following surgery on a fractured jaw sustained during his team’s 2-0 Premier League win at Everton.

The Argentina international was taken to hospital after colliding with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite during the second half of Saturday’s game at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

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Martinez, 34, required eight minutes of treatment on the pitch before he was carried off on a stretcher. Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso later said he had suffered a concussion.

“Thanks to everyone for the messages. The operation went well,” Martinez wrote on social media on Sunday alongside a photo of himself in a hospital bed.

“The most important thing is that we won, and kept a clean sheet. We’ll be back in a few weeks.”

Mike Penders is set to deputise in Martinez’s absence. The 21-year-old made his Premier League debut as a substitute against Everton.

He joined from Belgian club Genk in August 2024 and has spent the past two seasons out on loan, including a spell at Strasbourg last term.