Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez receives treatment for an injury during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Chelsea in Liverpool, England, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. (AP Photo)Argentina’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez said that he had to undergo a surgery in his first words after being stretchered off the field during Chelsea’s Premier League match against Everton. Martinez suffered a head injury after a nasty-looking collission with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite midway through the second half of the match at Hill Dickinson Stadium, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Chelsea.“Thanks to everyone for the messages, the operation went well. The most important thing is that we won and with a clean sheet. I’ll be back in a few weeks,” said Martinez in a post on his Instagram account along with a picture of himself in a bed in a hospital gown.Martinez and Branthwaite came together when Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall whipped a free kick into the box. Although the latter was back on his feet after treatment, the Argentina goalkeeper required treatment from paramedics. The 34-year-old was eventually strapped to a stretcher and carried off the field before being taken to hospital.“It was a concussion but beyond that I don’t know. I have only seen one clip of the incident, so we need to wait,” Chelsea coach Xabi Alonso had said after the match. “What we know is that he left the stadium conscious and right now he is in hospital doing precautionary tests. We need to wait. Hopefully it won’t be too bad but we need to wait.”Martinez’s injury forced Alonso to give Mike Penders ?his Premier League debut and the 21-year-old keeper helped Chelsea keep their first clean sheet in the league since January.Marca reports that Martinez is expected to be out of action for at least 40 days after the surgery on his jaws. It means that Penders, a Belgian youth international, may have to step in for the short term due to concussion protocols preventing Martinez returning to training immediately. Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur in the league next Saturday followed by a League Cup fourth round game at Liverpool on October 28 and a home Premier League match against Manchester United three days later.