Former Chelsea player Ross Barkley suffered a broken nose and significant bleeding during the match against Crystal Palace but continued to play.
The ex-Chelsea star sustained a horrifying nose injury after colliding with Crystal Palace defender Joel Ward in the 6th minute of the match on the evening of March 9th. While Ward remained unscathed, Barkley was left with a bruised eye and a bleeding nose after being struck directly in the face by his opponent. His face and jersey were smeared with blood. Following medical attention from staff, Barkley used a cloth to wipe his face and had to change into a new jersey.
Unfortunately, shortly after Barkley returned to the field, Luton conceded a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta. Despite being dominated for the majority of the match, Luton managed to secure a crucial point thanks to an impressive headed goal from Cauley Woodrow. At this point, Luton remains in the relegation zone, but the gap with the safety team is now only 3 points.
Since his move to Luton from Nice in the summer, Barkley has impressed with his performances. The midfielder has set his sights on securing a place in the England squad for EURO 2024 in the summer. He has scored 3 goals and provided 5 assists, and is likely to return to the Three Lions squad if he maintains his form until the end of the season.
Barkley has been absent from the England squad since scoring two goals in the 6-0 victory over Bulgaria in the EURO 2020 qualifiers in October 2019. The 30-year-old midfielder has earned 33 caps for the national team since his debut in 2013. Manager Gareth Southgate’s recent midfield selections for the upcoming training camp include Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, Cole Palmer (replacing the injured James Maddison), Kalvin Phillips, and Declan Rice.