Ederson will miss Manchester City’s Premier League title decider against West Ham and the FA Cup final with a fracture to his right eye socket.
The City goalkeeper was substituted in the second half of his side’s 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday after being caught full in the face in an accidental collision with Spurs defender Cristian Romero.
Ederson initially tried to play on but was withdrawn soon after on the recommendation of City’s medical staff with his eye starting to swell.
Subsequent tests have confirmed the Brazil international has suffered a small fracture to his eye socket and will have to miss the home match with West Ham on Sunday and the Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday week.
Ederson’s understudy Stefan Ortega, who impressed after replacing him against Spurs, would have started in goal against United anyway. He has started all the games in the competition this season and Pep Guardiola was committed to picking him at Wembley regardless of Ederson’s availability.
Questions were initially asked over whether City had followed the correct concussion protocols but Ederson passed all the necessary tests, was fully conscious and confirmed to the club’s medics that he never blacked out at any point.
Nonetheless, it was noticed that Ederson’s eye injury was showing a propensity to swell and Guardiola was told the goalkeeper would need substituting.
Ederson cut an angry, frustrated figure after coming off but understood the reasons for his withdrawal.
Ortega produced three fine saves in the final 20 minutes to frustrate Spurs, including a vital stop to deny Son Heung-min.
City will become the first club in English football history to win four consecutive league titles if they beat West Ham at the Etihad. A draw coupled with an Arsenal win over Everton would see City lose the title on goal difference.
In a statement, City said they could confirm Ederson “will miss the final two games of the season due to a small fracture of his eye socket” and wished him a “speedy recovery”.
De Bruyne: We’ll feel pressure
Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne has admitted City will “feel the pressure” against West Ham, even though they have navigated encounters against Brighton and Aston Villa to win the title on the final day in recent seasons.
“You feel the pressure – that’s normal in these situations. Even in the years before when we’ve played these games against Brighton, Aston Villa – there’s so much at stake and it’s normal,” he said.
“It’s hard because you have to almost be perfect for a long time to have a chance to win the title. It’s been a good fight – I respect the other teams, they do a great job but obviously we want to do it again and we know what we have to do on Sunday.”
Erling Haaland’s two goals against Spurs brought City to within touching distance of a sixth title in seven seasons and took his tally for the campaign to 38 after scoring 52 last term.
The Norway striker came in for criticism recently when former United captain Roy Keane likened his general play to that of a League Two player but De Bruyne – who set up Haaland’s first goal against Spurs – believes City’s No 9 remains unappreciated.
“He had the season he had last year and the numbers were so incredible and ridiculous,” De Bruyne said. “When you have a season where it’s a little bit less and people don’t appreciate what you’ve done … he’s now on 27 [league] goals and probably going to win the Golden Boot again.
“It’s incredible. He’s been amazing again and he’ll always do what he does.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
