Mateta: Millwall keeper didn’t set out to hurt me


19 Mar 2025 - Irish Daily Mail
By DAVID KENT

JEAN-PHILIPPE MATETA has defended Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, whose brutal challenge left the Crystal Palace striker needing 25 stitches in his left ear. Mateta suffered the sickening injury during Palace’s FA Cup victory on March 1, for which Roberts, who was shown a straight red card, was hit with a six-game ban.

But the Frenchman does not believe Roberts acted with malicious intent. ‘Liam texted me while I was in hospital and I told him, “It is OK, it is football”. He apologised. He was worried,’ Mateta said in an interview with Sky Sports. ‘I don’t think he woke up and thought, “I want to cut the head off JP”.

There is a lot of pressure. He wanted to do good, but too much emotion makes you do crazy things. It was a mistake. You learn from it.’ Mateta, 27, is back in training with Palace and hopes to return to action after the international break. Palace face Fulham in the Cup quarter-finals a week on Saturday.

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