In the FA Cup fifth-round match held at Selhurst Park on Saturday, Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta was hospitalized after sustaining a head injury in a challenge with Millwall goalkeeper, Liam Roberts. The incident occurred during the game against Millwall, prompting immediate medical attention.
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03-06, 2025Premier League side Crystal Palace secured their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory, but Mateta's injury cast a shadow over their progression. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish described Roberts' challenge on the 27-year-old Frenchman as the most reckless he had ever seen, stating that Mateta suffered a significant laceration to his ear. The severity of the injury raised concerns about the player's well-being and recovery.
In the 7th minute of the match, Mateta was chasing a long ball, bearing down on the Millwall goal, when Roberts rushed out to clear the bouncing ball but went in too high and out of control, catching the Crystal Palace player on the side of the head. Following a VAR check, Roberts was shown a straight red card, while Mateta received several minutes of treatment on the pitch, including oxygen, before being taken to an ambulance and transported to the hospital with a concussion. The challenge was deemed dangerous and warranted the sending-off.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner provided an update on Mateta's condition after the game. "He is in the hospital now with a serious head injury," he said. "I think he will definitely miss the game against Ipswich (on March 8), but I still hope he will be back for the FA Cup quarter-final at the end of March, so in four weeks." Glasner also stated, "If you go with that intensity close to the head, you cannot do it, because it is too dangerous. I don't want to blame (the goalkeeper), but it was definitely a bad foul." He added, "He is in the hospital, and I heard he is conscious." The manager expressed concern for his player's health and hoped for a swift recovery.
Mateta later posted on X that he was "doing well" and hoped to "be back soon, stronger than ever". Parish told the BBC at half-time: "He's in hospital, so we hope he's OK. I mean, there's a lot of emotion in football, but we need to talk about that tackle. In all my time watching football, I've never seen a tackle like that. I think it's the most reckless tackle I've ever seen on a football pitch." He also said: "(Roberts) needs to have a good look at himself because he's endangered a fellow professional with a tackle like that. If you kick him in the head with that much force, who knows what damage you can do." Later, Parish was more forgiving. "You have to assume the kid didn't mean it… there's a lot of pressure, and he hasn't been there long for them. I'm sure he'll want to apologize, and I hear he's upset himself," he said. The chairman's changing tone reflected the complexity of the situation.
In other matches, Manchester City overcame an early scare to beat Plymouth 3-1, while Bournemouth defeated Wolves on penalties.
