Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta has expressed no ill feelings toward Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, despite suffering a gruesome ear injury that required 25 stitches during their FA Cup clash.
Roberts received an extended six-game suspension after being sent off for a reckless challenge, in which he accidentally kicked Mateta in the head while rushing out early in the match. Palace went on to win the game 3-1 on March 1.
Mateta initially underestimated the severity of the injury and even insisted on continuing to play.
“When he kicked me, I was on the floor waiting for him to get the red card,” Mateta told Sky Sports, still covering the wound with a large plaster.
“I was good to go. I thought, ‘just get the blood off and keep going’.”
“I was arguing with the doctor for 30 seconds, saying I wanted to play. The doctor saw the injury, but I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t feel pain. The blood, for sure. But I thought it was a little cut. My ear was like this (dangling). But it was not painful.”
Palace chairman Steve Parish strongly condemned the incident, calling it the “most reckless challenge” he had ever seen, leading the club to push for a stricter punishment beyond the initial three-match ban.
However, Mateta has taken a more forgiving stance, attributing the incident to heightened emotions rather than malice.
“Liam contacted me and texted me while I was in hospital and I told him, ‘it is OK, it is football’,” he said. “He apologised. 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.”
The French striker, who has scored 15 goals in 33 appearances this season, has resumed individual training and hopes to be fit for the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham on March 29.
“Hopefully, I can play (against Fulham),” Mateta said. “I need to wear a mask, I need to wear something. I will take the best one that is most comfortable.”
