Arne Slot has revealed that Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez sustained injuries in Saturday’s Premier League win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
Hugo Ekitike netted his second consecutive brace in the Premier League to secure a 2-0 win for Liverpool at Anfield.
While the result brought welcome relief for Slot, who had only won one of his last five Premier League games heading to this clash, it came at a cost as his side were hit with injuries.
After providing the assist for Ekitike’s opener, Gomez’s afternoon was cut short midway through the first half when a physical problem forced his withdrawal, allowing Mohamed Salah to enter the contest on his return to the matchday squad after missing the Champions League win against Inter Milan.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Slot was upbeat about the extent of the injuries, saying:
‘If I have a player who goes off with a muscle injury like Joe, that’s normally not a positive thing.
‘I would not expect him to be in the squad next week [at Tottenham Hotspur], but sometimes you get a positive surprise.
‘People now maybe understand a bit better why I was always so cautious not to play him so many games. I assume many people thought, ‘If you have a defender, if you have a right full-back, why don’t you play him?’
Double blow
With Joe Gomez unable to continue, the defensive responsibility on the right flank was handed to Dominik Szoboszlai, who was asked to once again operate at right back.
That adjustment was short-lived, as Liverpool were handed another injury blow when the Hungarian midfielder was taken off in the 83rd minute with an ankle problem.
Slot added: ‘[With] Dom, it was his ankle. It didn’t look great when I just saw him, but he has unbelievable mentality, so let’s hope for the best.’
Slot would be relieved that Conor Bradley has regained fitness after his recent injury, making him available for selection, and he is expected to fill the right-back role against Tottenham Hotspur in Gomez’s absence.
Liverpool fans will also hope Szoboszlai has avoided a significant injury to make the team for the Tottenham trip, as he has been arguably the club’s best player this season.
