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Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was rushed to the hospital following a reckless challenge from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts during Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round match.
However, he has been confirmed to be “conscious” after the unfortunate incident.
Palace chairman and co-owner Steve Parish confirmed to the BBC at half-time that Mateta had sustained a gash behind his ear and was being treated at a local hospital. He also expressed his anger over the incident, which saw Roberts sent off.
Following the match, Palace manager Oliver Glasner also shared:
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He's conscious and he's in hospital, but his ear obviously looks terrible. [It's a] very serious injury, so of course we hope all the best for him and let's see.
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Roberts rushed out of his penalty area to clear a long ball, but his high left-footed follow-through struck Mateta in the side of the face. Mateta remained on the ground for several minutes before receiving medical attention and being taken off in a neck brace, transported by ambulance.
Parish reacted strongly, saying:
In all the time I've been watching football, I don't think I've ever seen a worse challenge. If you're kicking someone in the head, then you don't know what damage may have been done.
They're professionals and they have to treat each other like professionals and have a duty of care for your fellow professionals. That keeper has not had one [duty of care]. Credit to the players for carrying on, but it is difficult for me to think about anything else with JP [Mateta] in hospital.
Despite being close to the incident, referee Michael Oliver initially did not issue a card but later gave Roberts a red after reviewing the footage with VAR.
Glasner's reaction after FA Cup victory
Although Mateta, Palace’s top scorer with 12 Premier League goals, couldn't continue playing, his team still managed a 3-1 victory over Millwall.
Glasner reacted to his team’s win saying they're not happy after what happened despite the result.
Maybe we are not really happy today. We can't be really happy. Of course, it's a great win going into the quarterfinals, but when you lose a player, especially with a foul like this, you have two different feelings in your stomach.
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Crystal Palace’s next game will be at home against relegation threatened Ipswich Town in the Premier League.