West Brom midfielder Jake Livermore admitted he feared the worst when friend Ryan Mason suffered his sickening head injury.
Livermore's former Hull teammate Mason is making "excellent progress'' after fracturing his skull but will continue to be closely monitored in hospital.
The midfielder clashed heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill at Stamford Bridge in the hosts' 2-0 victory on Sunday and needed nine minutes of treatment on the pitch before being taken to St Mary's Hospital.
Livermore played with Mason at Tottenham and Hull before completing a £10 million move to West Brom from the Tigers on Friday and revealed his concerns.