Crystal Palace striker, Jean-Philippe Mateta, was carried off on a stretcher after sustaining a head injury during a challenging encounter with Millwall goalkeeper, Liam Roberts, in an FA Cup clash.
The incident occurred during Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round match, where Roberts was shown a red card following a video assistant review (VAR). He attempted to clear a long ball but inadvertently struck Mateta in the head.
Medical staff promptly attended to Mateta on the pitch, administering oxygen before he was transported to an ambulance.
In his absence, substitute Eddie Nketiah stepped onto the field. The first half saw a significant amount of stoppage time, with 13 minutes added, and Crystal Palace held a 2-0 lead thanks to an own goal by Japhet Tanganga and a strike from Daniel Munoz.
Mateta has been instrumental for the Eagles this season, tallying 15 goals in 33 appearances, including eight goals in his last eight Premier League outings.
Meanwhile, Burnley players chose not to shake hands with Preston striker Milutin Osmajic before their FA Cup fifth-round clash, highlighting an ongoing controversy surrounding an alleged racial incident.
The accusations emerged after a match between the two clubs in the Championship on February 15, where Osmajic was accused of racially abusing Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri.
Osmajic, who has vehemently denied the claims, was included in Preston’s starting lineup, while Mejbri was left out of the Burnley squad to safeguard him from potential scrutiny.
During the pre-match handshake at Deepdale, Osmajic extended his hand to several Burnley players, but received no responses, prompting him to continue down the line without further interaction.
Demonstrating resilience, Osmajic scored the opening goal in the first half, celebrating with a gesture towards the away fans, before being embraced by his teammates.
The Football Association (FA) is actively investigating the situation involving Osmajic and Mejbri, and if Osmajic is found guilty, he could face a minimum suspension of six games.
Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom stated that he has not considered leaving Osmajic out of the lineup, reaffirming a stance of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ about the accusations.
