Chelsea winger Jesse Derry had to be taken off on a stretcher after a horrible clash of heads with Nottingham Forest defender Zach Abbott, which saw a penalty awarded
Jesse Derry suffered a nasty head injury(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Chelsea youngster Jesse Derry had to be taken off on a stretcher and rushed to hospital after a horrible clash of heads. The 18-year-old was making his first start in the Premier League on Monday when he clashed with Nottingham Forest defender Zach Abbott at the end of the first half.
The two young players were jumping for a bouncing ball in the penalty area after a Chelsea corner in the 44th minute when they collided. Players for both sides looked immediately concerned and broadcasters did not show replays.
Referee Anthony Taylor immediately awarded a penalty and the medical staff rushed on to treat the injured players. While Abbott got up fairly quickly and was replaced by Neco Williams as a concussion substitute, Derry was seen lying on the ground in a worse state.
After a lengthy delay, the Chelsea winger was eventually replaced by Liam Delap as he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher. To make matters worse for Chelsea, Cole Palmer then saw his penalty saved by Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels, which kept the scoreline at 2-0 to the away side.
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Chelsea released a statement shortly after, which read: “Jesse Derry has been taken to hospital as a precaution following his first-half substitution during today’s #PL game against Nottingham Forest.
“Jesse is conscious, talking and undergoing precautionary checks. We wish him a speedy recovery and thank the medical staff for their swift response.”
Ex-Premier League goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s an unfortunate incident, there was no malice there. I think Derry just gets there just ahead of Zach Abbott and both players were on the ground.”
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, on co-commentary for Sky Sports, said: “It was a 50/50 ball in the air, really. I’m surprised he points to the spot. It’s a nasty clash of heads, both players look badly injured.”
Derry, the son of ex-Premier League midfielder Shaun Derry, had been a bright presence for Chelsea on the left wing, with Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto absent at Stamford Bridge. The England under-19 international only made his Chelsea debut in February as a substitute in the 4-0 win over Hull in the FA Cup.
But his injury compounded a miserable first half for Chelsea, who went into the break 2-0 down following Taiwo Awoniyi’s early header and Igor Jesus’ penalty after Malo Gusto pulled his shirt in the box.
Forest made eight changes to their starting line-up for the Premier League game, with one eye on the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa later in the week. But Chelsea, who came into the game on the back of five straight league defeats, were second best in the opening stages.
The home side were booed off at half-time, having gone five and a half league games without scoring. And things went from bad to worse after the break when Awoniyi’s second, and Forest’s third.
There was then another lengthy delay after a clash of heads between Morgan Gibbs-White and Chelsea ‘keeper Robert Sanchez with both players also forced to go off.
Joao Pedro scored a late consolation, but that wasn’t enough as Chelsea lost for the sixth straight game in the Premier League.
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