Mateta was injured after the challenge by Millwall’s Liam Roberts, in which the goalkeeper rushed off his line and kicked the striker in the head while clearing the ball. Roberts was sent off after a VAR review, while Mateta received lengthy treatment on the pitch, being administered oxygen before he was stretchered off and into an ambulance.

At first, there had been wincing, when Jean-Philippe Mateta was recklessly clattered into by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts with a two-footed airborne karate kick. Now that slow-motion replays were being shown from various angles,

Lions hit out at “character assassination” of goalkeeper, who quickly reached out to apologise to the Crystal Palace striker