Neto brace gives Chelsea win at Everton, overshadowed by Martinez head injury
Theo Al Jazeera English
Pedro Neto scored twice as Chelsea won 2-0 at Everton to move into the top four and record their first Premier League clean sheet in 23 matches. The match was overshadowed by a head injury to Everton goalkeeper Emi Martinez, who clashed heads with Jarrad Branthwaite and was taken to hospital for tests.
Pedro Neto starred with a brace as Chelsea won 2-0 at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium, handing the hosts their first defeat of the season. The away win was overshadowed, however, by a head injury to goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
Neto broke the deadlock in the first minute of the second half and sealed the three points deep into 11 minutes of stoppage time, after a lengthy period in which medical staff attended to Martinez.
The Argentina goalkeeper clashed heads heavily with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and was taken to hospital. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said: "From what I know, he left the stadium conscious. He is now at the hospital for precautionary tests, and we will wait for the results."
Their first away win of the season lifted Chelsea above Everton into the top four, and marked their first clean sheet in 23 Premier League matches.
"We needed an away win like this. The whole team played very professionally, seriously and looked solid. It's a very good win," Alonso added. "We need to keep more clean sheets for the rest of the season, but the first clean sheet of the season definitely feels positive and now we need to keep going in this direction."
The match started slowly but quickly turned heated when Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong lunged in on Josh Acheampong, the first of five first-half yellow cards.
That flashpoint also stirred the home crowd and sparked Everton's best spell of the game. Thierno Barry wasted another chance when he headed Jack Grealish's cross too close to Martinez.
Chelsea under Alonso have tended to start fast, but they did not threaten until the 41st minute, when Moises Caicedo struck the crossbar from a well-worked corner routine.
Everton were furious when Morgan Rogers escaped a second yellow on the stroke of half-time after a fierce challenge on England teammate James Garner.
That proved the pivotal decision as the visitors exploded at the start of the second half. Jorrel Hato drove into the box and his low cutback reached Neto, who had time to control and fire low past Jordan Pickford.
Chelsea had not kept a Premier League clean sheet since January, but were rarely troubled by Everton even after losing Martinez, with the hosts short of attacking options.
"I felt Chelsea had a little bit of style and quality above what we had at the important moments today," Everton manager David Moyes said.
The treatment for Martinez threatened to interrupt Chelsea's momentum as they controlled the second half. Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders replaced Martinez for his Premier League debut but had little to do beyond dealing with a few desperate Everton crosses.
At the other end, Pickford made a fine save to deny Joao Pedro. But Chelsea still got their second when Neto calmly found the bottom corner after Jordan Henderson's free-kick was blocked by the Everton wall.
"We are really pleased. It's a shame for Emi but we wish him all the best. This win is for him," Neto told TNT Sports after his first Premier League brace. "Honestly, we needed a clean sheet. I think the whole team played very well. Emi deserves this, and so does Mike."
