Jesse Derry receives oxygen as horror injury on debut sees Chelsea match halted | Football | Sport
Jesse Derry’s Premier League debut ended in worrying scenes as the teenager received oxygen and was stretchered off following a nasty clash of heads. The 18-year-old was handed a start against Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge by caretaker manager Calum McFarlane. But the academy talent was forced off before half-time as a serious injury led to a lengthy stoppage.
With Chelsea 2-0 down, Derry won his team a penalty but at the same time suffered an ugly collision with Zach Abbott in the 44th minute as the pair both lunged forward to win the ball with their heads. Derry’s Chelsea team-mates and referee Anthony Taylor immediately recognised the severity of the incident and gestured for medical treatment. The game was paused for over 10 minutes as the pair were treated, with medical staff seen administering oxygen to the teenager and the stadium was engulfed in an eerie silence.
Both teams used the concussion substitution rule to replace their players. Abbott returned to his feet and looked OK as he walked off the pitch but was replaced by Neco Williams to check on his welfare. While Liam Delap replaced Derry, who is the son of former Premier League defender Shaun.
All four corners of the ground clapped Derry off as the youngster was taken down the tunnel on a stretcher. Sky Sports reported shortly after half-time that Derry had been taken to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for precautionary tests.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “Derry was looking good. When he got the ball he was confident and willing to take on his opponent. He played with real maturity. He had a few half chances and every time Chelsea looked to have a chance it came down the left side.
“Real desire and no fear. 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. It’s never a pretty picture to watch and there is a lot of concerns about his wellbeing. Let’s hope he is okay. There is applause as they lift the stretcher up.”
And after a lengthy stoppage, Cole Palmer’s spot-kick was saved by Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels. It is only the second penalty, of 20 attempts, that Palmer has missed in the Premier League.
The eventual half-time whistle was met by loud boos from the unhappy Chelsea supporters, who had watched their team lose their last five Premier League matches in a row before this. They also failed to score in any of those matches, thereby sabotaging their chances of Champions League qualification.
A much-changed Forest team led 2-0 inside 15 minutes in west London courtesy of a Taiwo Awoniyi header and Igor Jesus’ penalty. Awoniyi secured his brace and made it 3-0 in the 51st minute after a VAR check confirmed he was marginally onside when tapping in substitute Morgan Gibbs-White’s cross.
Joao Pedro ended Chelsea’s nine-and-a-half-hour goal drought with a spectacular injury-time overhead kick but Chelsea still lost 3-1. Three points means Vitor Pereira’s charges clamber further clear of relegation danger, giving them a six-point buffer to 18th-placed West Ham with three games to go.
Chelsea sit ninth, only three points ahead of 13th-placed Newcastle United. They appear reliant on Aston Villa winning the Europa League and finishing fifth or higher, which would mean the team that claims sixth spot in the Premier League would also qualify for next season’s Champions League.
