Cesar Azpilicueta will stay in hospital overnight after being kicked in the head in Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat by Premier League club Southampton on Saturday, manager Graham Potter said.
The Chelsea manager, who is under fire, said he expected the defender to remain in hospital for at least 24 hours after Southampton’s rival Sekou Mara hit him in the face with an attempted overhead kick on the ground. minute 74.
Azpilicueta, who is the Chelsea captain, was taken out on a stretcher wearing a neck brace and breathing with an oxygen mask after a 10-minute break.
“Fortunately he’s conscious,” Potter said. “She is in the hospital. He talked to his wife, I think. So we’re obviously monitoring him and very concerned about him… It wasn’t a pretty thing to see.”
Azpilicueta, 33, joined Chelsea in 2012 and has helped the club win two Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2021. He was named club captain in 2019.
