Just when Liverpool fans though the first half couldn’t have gone any worse, the sight of Ibrahima Konate in distress as the teams headed towards the dressing rooms compounded the gloom.
Ferdi Kadioglu’s 14th-minute goal gave Brighton a lead that they fully deserved at half-time, and the deficit would’ve been wider had it not been for a fine Caoimhin Kelleher save from Georginio Rutter.
In the last passage of play just before the interval, there was yet another concern for Arne Slot and Reds supporters.
Konate in distress as he left the field
As the teams made their way off the pitch when the half-time whistle blew, Konate looked in genuine distress as he held his left arm in a makeshift sling using his shirt.
Watching the incident unfold live on Soccer Saturday (via GIVEMESPORT), Paul Merson said that the Liverpool defender was in ‘absolute agony’ and suggested that the 25-year-old may even have broken his arm.
Fingers crossed it’s not too bad for Konate
The Anfield treatment room already had a few occupants in Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott prior to today’s match, and the initial signs are that Konate mightn’t be seen on the pitch for some time.
Obviously we’ll need to wait for a qualified medical diagnosis before we learn the true severity of the injury, but fingers crossed that it isn’t as bad as it looked when the Frenchman left the field at the end of the first half.
Thankfully, Joe Gomez was superb after coming on at the interval, making a crucial block from Danny Welbeck in the final 15 minutes, by which stage Liverpool had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead thanks to quickfire goals from Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah.
What was for so long a frustrating day at Anfield turned into a glorious one, especially after defeats for Arsenal and Manchester City, although Konate’s injury takes some of the gloss off the Reds’ victory. Let’s hope for the best where Ibou is concerned.