Petr Cech suffered a depressed fracture of the skull following his clash with Reading's Stephen Hunt, with Chelsea now facing a goalkeeping crisis for Wednesday's meeting with Barcelona.
Cech, the 24-year-old Czech Republic goalkeeper, was knocked unconscious in the opening minute at the Madejski Stadium in a clash that left boss Jose Mourinho fearing for his player's life.
Chelsea have confirmed that Cech underwent surgery after being transferred to the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford to their specialist neuro-surgical unit. It is unknown when he will return to action but he is expected to miss the Barca game.