Breaking: Chelsea star Cesar Azpilicueta stretchered off after horrific collision with Southampton's Sekou Mara

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta suffered a horrific injury in his side's meeting with Southampton on Saturday (February 18). The Spanish defender was stretchered off the pitch after colliding with Saints forward Sekou Mara's.

The French attacker attempted an overhead kick in the 75th minute, but his foot smashed into Azpilicueta's face, and the Spaniard fell to the ground. The Blues' medical staff was immediately on the pitch to attend to the player.

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Cesar Azpilicueta had to be stretchered off the pitch after taking a kick from Sékou Mara.

Wishing him a speedy recovery

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Cesar Azpilicueta had to be stretchered off the pitch after taking a kick from Sékou Mara.

Wishing him a speedy recovery 🙏 https://t.co/lpUCiPZSH7

After ten minutes of working on the Chelsea man, he was put on a stretcher and taken off the field.

Fears grew over the extent of the injury, as he appeared to have been knocked out by the blow. The game was immediately brought to a halt. Azpilicueta was replaced by Trevoh Chalobah in the 84th minute, and Sekou was booked for the foul on the defender.

Referee David Coote added 12 minutes of added time due to a halt in play over Azplicueta's injury. In positive news, the Spaniard clapped fans as he was stretchered off. However, his potential absence will come as a blow for Graham Potter's side, who have struggled with injuries throughout the campaign. Wesley Fofana has only just returned from a long-term injury.

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Southampton defeats pile on the pressure on Chelsea manager Potter

Southampton opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge courtesy of James Ward-Prowse's first-half free kick.

The Blues came close to scoring on several occasions, but their profligate finishing meant they slumped to a defeat against the bottom-placed side. Having lost at Borussia Dortmund in their midweek UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg clash, Potter's men are now winless in five games across competitions.

Following the Southampton defeat, the Blues remain tenth in the league, trailing fourth-placed Newcastle United by ten points after 23 games as the pressure mounts on Potter. The Blues next travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the league on February 26.

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