Chelsea boss Graham Potter has confirmed that captain Cesar Azpilicueta is conscious and talking to his wife after being transferred to hospital following a worrying head injury on Saturday against Southampton.
Azpilicueta was given oxygen and taken off on a stretcher after sustaining a sickening kick to the head. The Chelsea skipper was trying to head clear a ball as Southampton striker Sekou Mara attempted an overhead kick, resulting in a nasty injury.
The match was delayed for 10 minutes while the Chelsea medics attended to the stricken Azpilicueta. He was replaced by Trevoh Chalobah but reassured fans by responding to their round of applause with clapping of his own as he was carried off the pitch.
Boss Potter has confirmed that the Spaniard is now in hospital but is conscious - which will no doubt be good news for the Chelsea faithful. Speaking in his post-match press conference, he said: "He's [Azpilicueta] in hospital. He is conscious and speaking to his wife.
"Hopefully he is in the best place and we're monitoring. He needs to take all the precautions we need to take now."
Elsewhere, Southampton captain Ward-Prowse was quick to give his thoughts to his opposite number despite what was a memorable afternoon for the Saints at Stamford Bridge. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "The game was obviously overshadowed a bit by the injury to Cesar and we wish our best to him. We hope he is OK."
What has gone wrong for Chelsea this season? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Chelsea will certainly hope that they are not without the services of their captain for too long considering the hectic fixture schedule that they are set to face over the coming weeks. They are next back in action against London rivals Tottenham next weekend before a clash with struggling Leeds at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues then take on Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. They find themselves 1-0 down at the midway point following a slender 1-0 loss in Germany - Karim Adeyemi netting the winning goal for Dortmund.
Whilst he has not been a regular starter for Chelsea this season, Azpilicueta has still been called upon by Thomas Tuchel and his successor Graham Potter. The 33-year-old defender has 26 appearances to his name in all competitions this term.
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.
Following defeat to Southampton, the Londoners remain in tenth position in the Premier League - a run of form that has seen the pressure continue to crank up on Potter.
