Chelsea suffered a big scare on Saturday when Didier Drogba was knocked unconscious on the pitch during the Blues' 3-1 victory over Norwich in Barclays Premier League play at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
In the 63rd minute, the 33-year-old Ivorian striker went up for an aerial challenge against Canaries goalkeeper John Ruddy while offside, resulting in a sickening collision that sent Drogba spinning laterally in mid-air before landing face-first on the ground.
Play was halted for seven minutes while medical staff and training personnel fitted Drogba with a breathing aid and carried him off on a stretcher.
The incident put a considerable damper on an afternoon that was otherwise rather positive for the Blues, who earned another three points in the Premier League standings and saw new boy Juan Mata score a goal in his first match with the club since moving from Valencia.
According to the BBC, Drogba is expected to be released from hospital Saturday night. Doctors diagnosed Drogba as having suffered a mild concussion, which will require the club to monitor his condition carefully in the days to come.
Said Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas of the scary incident after the match:
"He was completely unconscious. The doctor did a great job.
"We hope for his well-being as a person first. He is showing progressive signs of recovery."
As far as Chelsea are concerned, the Drogba scare is just the latest bit of bad news to befall last season's runners-up in the Premiership. The Blues are already without Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien, who ruptured his meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament in training in July and is in the midst of a six-month recovery period.
Luckily for Chelsea, Drogba should be fit to play much sooner than that, which is certainly a blessing given how ugly of a collision he suffered through today.
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