There is concern for Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta after he suffered a nasty head injury in a clash with Southampton striker Sekou Mara.
Azpilicueta was kicked in the head by Mara as he attempted an overhead kick in the second half of Chelsea's Premier League game against Southampton at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea medics rushed onto the pitch to treat the Spanish defender after the game was stopped immediately. Azpilicueta's team-mates rushed to his side and looked worried after he fell to the ground.
"He's been down a long time," former England midfielder Fara Williams said on BBC's Final Score. "When something like this happens you want the right precautions to take place. The medics are on there and the right thing to do is make sure the player is right before you remove him from the pitch. We can't see clear pictures but it doesn't look great."
The match was paused for 10 minutes while Stamford Bridge medics gave Azpilicueta oxygen. He was eventually taken off the pitch on a stretcher to a round of applause from the fans. The defender responded by holding his arms up to appreciate the ovation.
Azpilicueta was replaced by Trevoh Chalobah for the final stages of the match. Chelsea were losing the game 1-0 following James Ward-Prowse's stunning free-kick just before half-time. They could not get back into the match, losing 1-0 to pile pressure onto manager Graham Potter.
Azpilicueta has made 501 appearances for Chelsea since joining the club from Marseille in 2012. The 33-year-old has helped the team win a whole host of trophies, including the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
He was made club captain ahead of the 2019/20 season following the departure of Gary Cahill. He currently sits sixth on the list of record appearance-makers for Chelsea, behind legends like Frank Lampard, John Terry, Peter Bonetti and Ron Harris.
