Mueez Ajao
– Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta thanked “everyone who has been looking after me” after the nasty head injury he suffered during Saturday’s home defeat by Southampton.
– Azpilicueta lay motionless on the pitch after being struck in the face by Sekou Mara as the Saints substitute attempted an overhead kick.
– The 33-year-old Spain defender received oxygen treatment for several minutes before being taken off on a stretcher, though he was conscious as he left the field.
Also Read: Potter provides Azpilicueta injury update after kick to head
– After the game, Chelsea manager Graham Potter said Azpilicueta was “conscious” and “speaking” in hospital.
– On Sunday, the full-back tweeted: “My family and I would like to thank everyone who has been looking after me since yesterday’s incident.
– “From the @ChelseaFC medical team, to team-mates and opponents, to St Mary’s and Cleveland Hospital and all staff members and doctors: a massive thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, time to recover and I will see you soon on the pitch!”
– “It was a bad moment for us,” Potter said on Saturday. “I think he was unconscious at one point, so it was worrying for everyone. It was accidental but still it was a kick in the face. You can see how bad it was.”
From the @ChelseaFC medical team, to teammates and opponents, to St Mary’s and Cleveland Hospital and all staff members and doctors: a massive thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Now, time to recover and I will see you soon on the pitch! 💙
— César Azpilicueta (@CesarAzpi) February 19, 2023
– James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick in first-half stoppage time condemned the Blues to their fifth defeat of 2023 and left them 10 points off the Premier League top four with 15 league games remaining.
