The scary incident that saw Aston Villa's Nathan Baker get taken off on a stretcher against Arsenal in the first half has apparently left the defender with only a mild concussion, according to the club. Even a mild concussion is still terrible news, as we are all increasingly aware, but given the seven-minute delay in the match and the manner in which Baker left it, this is as good of news as can be hoped for.
Baker was struck in the face in the 14th minute by a shot off of the foot of Serge Gnabry. At first, it looked like the standard ball-off-the-face type thing. Perhaps Baker would come off, but it didn't seem bad. And then physios crowded around him and a stretcher was called for. Apparently Baker lost consciousness at one point, but was sitting up and responsive in the locker room after he was taken off the pitch.
We'll update when there is further news, but for now it's encouraging to hear that Baker is doing better than it seems he would be at first. Here's to hoping that the concussion truly is mild. Even that would be terrible enough.