Jean-Philippe Mateta made his Crystal Palace return Saturday for the first time since sustaining a serious head injury that required 25 stitches on a severely lacerated ear.
The forward was hospitalized after being kicked in the head by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts in an FA Cup match earlier this month.
He has been out of action since then but was back in Palace's starting lineup for the 3-0 win against Fulham in the Cup quarterfinal.
Wearing a protective covering on his ear, Mateta played for 70 minutes before being replaced by Eddie Nketiah.
Mateta was injured when Roberts rushed outside the 18-yard box to clear a long ball and struck the France striker in the side of the face with a high boot. The goalkeeper was sent off, while Mateta left the field on a stretcher and was taken to a hospital.
Palace chairman Steve Parish said it was “the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen.”
Roberts' initial three-game ban was extended to six games after the English Football Association called for extra punishment. The goalkeeper later revealed he'd received abusive messages and threats.
“Liam contacted me and texted me while I was in hospital and I told him: ‘It is OK, it is football,’” Mateta said in an interview with Sky Sports. "He apologized. He was worried.
“I don’t think he woke up and thought ‘I want to cut the head of JP.’ There is a lot of pressure. He wanted to do good, too much emotion makes you do crazy things. It was just a mistake. You learn from it."
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta wearing a protective guard on his ear grimaces during the English FA Cup quarter final soccer match between Fulham and Crystal Palace, at Craven Cottage, in London, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta wearing a protective guard warms up before the English FA Cup quarter final soccer match between Fulham and Crystal Palace, at Craven Cottage, in London, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (John Walton/PA via AP)
