Chelsea legend John Terry sends message to Cesar Azpilicueta after the latter's horror head injury

Chelsea legend and former skipper John Terry has sent a message to current Blues skipper Cesar Azpilicueta following his horror injury against Southampton.

The Spain international was stretchered off in the 1-0 Premier League loss to Southampton on Saturday (February 18) after suffering a horrific injury.

The Chelsea skipper was inadvertently kicked in the head by Saints forward Sekou Mara as the Frenchman attempted an overhead kick. The game was brought to a dramatic halt in the 73rd minute, with the versatile defender lying out in his box after the incident.

Azpilicueta received treatment from the medical staff for 10 long minutes. He was then stretchered off with players preferring to look away from the distressing scenes.

The Spaniard was eventually replaced by Trevoh Chalobah but clapped at the fans while laying on a stretcher and being brought off the pitch.

Former Blues captain Terry, who played alongside Azpilicueta for a long time, took to Twitter to deliver a message to his former teammate. He wrote:

"Delighted to hear our captain is all well (blue heart)."

Since joining the Blues back in 2012 from Marseille for a fee of just £7 million, Azpilicueta has established himself as one of the best bargains in recent years.

The Spaniard has been an absolute legend at Stamford Bridge, having made 502 appearances for the club to date. He has won nine trophies during his time with the Blues, including two Premier League titles and one Champions League.

Chelsea, meanwhile, suffered their eighth Premier League defeat of the season as James Ward-Prowse's 45+1st minute free-kick proved decisive.

Graham Potter's side remain 10th in the league, trailing fourth-placed Newcastle United by 10 points.

---

Paul Merson slams Chelsea star for dismal performance in disappointing 1-0 loss to Southampton

Pundit Paul Merson slammed Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount following the Blues' defeat against Southampton at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. He said:

"I don't see this [Chelsea's poor form] stopping, I don't. They've bought a lorry load of individuals, I'm afraid. They've not bought anybody for the team, it's all dribblers."

He added:

"Forget Enzo Fernandez, he's a top player, he's a holding midfield player but the others. ... [Mason] Mount played today and got eaten up. People were dribbling, there was no phases of the game, it's only when [Kai] Havertz came on and he started playing with [Joao] Felix and [Raheem] Sterling that there were passages of play."

Southampton skipper Ward-Prowse scored his 17th free-kick in the Premier League to seal all three points for the Saints.