Crystal Palace Forward Jean-Philippe Mateta Holds No Grudges After Frightening Injury

Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta has stated that he holds no ill feelings towards Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, despite suffering a horrific ear injury that required 25 stitches during an FA Cup encounter.

Roberts received a lengthy six-match suspension after being dismissed for kicking Mateta in the head as he rushed out to defend early in the fifth-round tie, which saw the Eagles triumph 3-1 on March 1.

Initially, Mateta was unaware of the extent of his injury and even expressed a desire to continue playing.

“When he kicked me, I was on the ground waiting for him to get the red card,” Mateta told Sky Sports, while still sporting a large bandage over the injury.

“I thought I was fine. I was thinking, ‘just clean up the blood and carry on’.

“I was debating with the doctor for half a minute, saying I wanted to keep playing. The doctor noticed the injury, but I couldn’t see it myself. I wasn’t in pain. There was definitely blood, but I thought it was just a small cut. My ear was hanging off, but it didn’t hurt.”

Palace chairman Steve Parish labelled the incident as the “most reckless challenge” he has ever witnessed and called for Roberts’ ban to be elevated from an automatic three-match suspension.

However, Mateta views the incident as merely a case of “too much emotion” during a heated match.

“Liam reached out to me with a message while I was in hospital, and I told him, ‘it’s all good, it’s football’,” the French striker commented. “He apologised and was concerned.”

“I don’t think he woke up thinking, ‘I want to hurt JP’. There’s a lot of pressure. He wanted to perform well, and sometimes too much emotion can lead to impulsive actions. It was simply a mistake, and you learn from it.”

Mateta, who has netted 15 goals in 33 appearances for Palace across all competitions this season, has commenced individual training and is optimistic about being fit for the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham on March 29.

“I’m hoping to be able to play (against Fulham),” he stated. “I’ll need to wear a mask or some protection. I’ll choose the best and most comfortable option available.”