Jean-Philippe Mateta in hospital with head injury after ‘reckless challenge’

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish branded the challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta that got Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts sent off in their fifth-round FA Cup clash “the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen”.

The incident occurred early in the first half at Selhurst Park when Roberts was rushing, leg extended, to meet a through ball and kicked the Palace striker in the head.

Mateta was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after a lengthy pause, while some Millwall fans could be heard chanting “let him die”.

Parish told the BBC: “So far what we know is he’s got a bad gash behind his ear and a head injury, obviously he’s at the hospital, so we hope for the best. There’s a lot of emotion in football but we need to talk about that challenge.

“In all the time I’ve watched football I haven’t ever seen a challenge like it. I looked to see how old the keeper was, he’s 30 years old. I mean that is the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I’ve ever seen.

“And I think he needs to have a long, hard look at himself that lad, because he’s endangering a fellow professional, maybe even his life, with a challenge like that.

“It’s very difficult for me to talk about the rest of the game because obviously we’re worried about JP, and it’s just a terrible, terrible challenge.

“They’re all professionals out there and they’ve got to treat each other like professionals and have a duty of care towards their fellow professional and that goalkeeper hasn’t had one.”

Parish was also critical of referee Michael Oliver, who turned to VAR after the collision before dismissing Roberts with a red card in the eighth minute.