Jean-Philippe Mateta plays 70 minutes in Crystal Palace’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Fulham – just three weeks after suffering horror ‘karate kick’ to head

• Jean-Philippe Mateta needed oxygen and 26 stitches to the ear after challenge
• He has made his return and lasted 70 minutes before being replaced by Nketiah
• LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Are Liverpool fans right to lambast Trent Alexander-Arnold? 

By ABDI RASHID

Crystal Palace made his return to the side in their 3-0 win over Fulham three weeks after being hit by a horrific kung-fu kick by Millwall keeper Liam Roberts earlier this month.

The Frenchman  needed oxygen and 25 stitches to his ear after being brutally taken out during his club’s FA Cup fifth round tie with Millwall. 

He missed just one match for his club — a 1-0 Premier League home win against Ipswich — due to the international break but has been training and got through 60 minutes in a friendly. 

Mateta started as Palace booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals, with the 27-year-old making way for eventual goal scorer Eddie Nketiah in the 70th minute. 

Speaking before kick-off, Eagles boss Glasner told ITV: ‘He’s such a lovely guy. He spent one week in bed, brought his mother over to England and she took care of him. 

‘The second week he started training individually and he was always laughing even  when his ear was still swollen. He trained well, he feels well so it’s good to have him back.’

Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has made his return to the side against Fulham

Mateta was on the receiving end of a horror challenge by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts

The Frenchman was replaced by eventual goal scorer Eddie Nketiah after 70 minutes

Mateta wore a protective headgear for the London derby at Craven Cottage.

Former Chelsea keeper Cech wore a protective head covering after suffering a fractured skull in a collision with Reading’s Stephen Hunt in 2006.

Mateta’s team-mate Chris Richards revealed that the headgear hadn’t protected him from becoming the butt of dressing-room jokes for his ‘bionic ear’.

‘He looks like a wrestler,’ said the American defender. 

‘He had a headband on, so we were saying the tennis player Francis Tiafoe. So there’s been a few shouts the last few weeks.

‘In training, he’s the exact same. I think he enjoys the attention a bit more now, but he’s been the same. Have I thought twice about going into a header with him? Not quite. He’s got that bionic ear now, so I guess we’ll see how it is tomorrow.’

Former Bayern Munich defender Richards is well versed in protected gear, having worn a mask for three weeks when he fractured his nose in Germany. 

‘I felt like Batman so it was pretty cool in that sense,’ he said. 

‘But psychologically, I was fine with it.’

In an interview last week, Mateta opened up on the damage to his ear.  

‘I was afraid I’d have broken bones or blood in my brain but in fact, my ear was just destroyed,’ he said. 

‘At the last moment, I had the reflex to turn my face. I was lucky because if I hadn’t, I would have taken his foot right in the head, and it would have been much worse.’ 

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Jean-Philippe Mateta plays 70 minutes in Crystal Palace’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Fulham – just three weeks after suffering horror ‘karate kick’ to head

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