🚨 James Garner at halftime on his collision with Morgan Rogers and his frustration at being ordered off the pitch for treatment: “I was very angry. Not because of the tackle. These things happen in football. We both went for the ball, we collided, and I came out of it with blood on my leg. My problem was what happened afterwards. When we were both on the ground, I looked across and saw Morgan holding his leg too. So I thought, okay, maybe we’ve both hurt ourselves. That’s unfortunate. Then the referee comes over, sees the blood and tells me I have to leave the pitch for treatment. I said, ‘Okay, but what about him?’ He said, ‘What about him?’ I said, ‘He’s injured too. Look at him.’ And just as I’m pointing towards Morgan, he gets up and starts walking away. I couldn’t believe it. I said, ‘Oh, so he’s alright now? That’s fantastic. What a recovery.’ But the referee wasn’t interested. He told me I had to go. Now, understand something. The game is 0-0. It’s a very difficult match. Everybody is fighting for every ball, and suddenly I’m standing outside the pitch while my teammates are playing with ten men. The medical staff are trying to clean my leg, but I’m watching the game. One of them says, ‘James, please, stop moving.’ I said, ‘Then tell them to stop attacking!’ Because every time Chelsea got the ball, I was thinking, if they score now, how do I explain this to my teammates? What am I supposed to tell them? Sorry, lads, I was outside having my leg cleaned? And the worst part was seeing Morgan running around. I kept telling the fourth official, ‘Look at him! Five seconds ago, he was holding his leg like me. Now he’s running faster than everybody.’ He said, ‘James, you’re bleeding. You have to receive treatment.’ I said, ‘I understand that. I’m not arguing about the blood. I’m asking why I’m the only one being punished for a collision involving two people.’ He tried to explain that Morgan didn’t need treatment. I said, ‘Well, perhaps he should come outside and explain that to me while they’re cleaning my leg. At least then we’ll both be off the pitch.’ Of course, I know the rules. If you’re bleeding, you have to come off. I understand why that rule exists. But when you’re in the middle of a game like that, you’re not thinking about the technicalities. You’re thinking about the space you’ve left behind and your teammates having to defend with one man less. I was telling the medical staff, ‘Please, just finish it. Put whatever you need to put on there. I’m ready.’ They said, ‘We need to make sure the bleeding has stopped.’ I said, ‘It’s stopped. Look.’ They looked. It hadn’t stopped. So they told me to sit still again. I think I was more difficult to treat than the injury itself. And when they finally allowed me back on, I was relieved. Not because my leg felt better, but because I could stop watching my teammates defend without me. After the match, I could laugh about it. Morgan and I were competing for the same ball. I have no problem with him. But in that moment, I was thinking, this man has kicked me, I’m the one bleeding, he’s still playing, and somehow I’m the one who has to stand outside and watch. If Everton had conceded while I was off, I promise you, the referee would have heard about that collision until the final whistle. Probably after the final whistle too.”