Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech was forced to battle on against Everton in agony after a cock-up by backup keeper Carlo Cudicini.
The Sun says Cudicini left his gloves in the dressing room and made a mad dash to get them - leaving the Czech ace to soldier on in agony against Everton.
Cech had to wait until half-time for the Italian to take over after clashing with team-mate William Gallas in the 32rd minute.
Blues stars signalled to the dugout for an immediate substitution - but then Cudicini realised his mistake and sprinted back to the changing room.
By the time he made it back, ref Rob Styles had ended the first half and Cech had risked making his injury far worse by playing on.
A Chelsea insider joked: "Carlo doesn't get to use his gloves very often these days so I suppose it's understandable he forgot all about them."
Cudicini, who has made just two league starts this season, looks set to play in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool. But Cech expects to face Manchester United on April 29, when the Blues can clinch the Premiership title.
Boss Jose Mourinho said: "There are some holes in Petr's leg and knee, a lot of blood and it was quite scary. But I believe the knee structure is OK and that's the most important thing."
