When Liverpool returned to Merseyside on Saturday night, they ought to have been jubilantly celebrating their first-ever victory at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Instead, needing to make three substitutes by halftime in their 4-1 victory over Brentford, Jurgen Klopp was left worrying about the health of not one, but four more of his players.
The German referee, who was clearly irritated by several of the Bees’ challenges, got into a heated debate with fourth official Graham Scott in the latter seconds of the first half after Conor Bradley had been given too much stick.
The Reds had already lost Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota to injuries by this stage, with the Portuguese player being stretchered off after Christian Norgaard’s entire body weight struck his knee.
Cody Gakpo came out to warm up just after Klopp had a heated conversation with Scott and the halftime siren sounded. The Dutchman’s shirt was shortly brought by fitness coach Andreas Kornmayer, and as it became evident that Liverpool would have to make a third change, Peter Krawitz and Pep Lijnders showed up to offer tactical advice.
By this point, the Reds had already lost Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones to injuries; the Portuguese player was stretchered off after Christian Norgaard’s whole weight slammed his knee.
Shortly after the halftime siren went off and Klopp got into a heated argument with Scott, Cody Gakpo emerged to warm up. Fitness coach Andreas Kornmayer quickly delivered the Dutchman’s shirt, and when it became clear that Liverpool would need to make a third change, Peter Krawitz and Pep Lijnders arrived to provide tactical guidance.
The last thing the Reds needed was more setbacks after Alisson Becker’s hamstring injury on Friday prevented him from traveling to Brentford in the first place. Klopp also confirmed that Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai were likely to miss the League Cup final matchup with Chelsea the following weekend. Even in the face of extreme weather, they manage to carry on.
If Klopp’s team were to be sent back out with the command to defend their legs as much as their lead, goals from Mohamed Salah, Alexis Mac Allister, and Cody Gakpo would at least guarantee a resounding victory. Additionally, a previously depressing hunting ground in terms of the Premier League title chase saw a statement result that lifted spirits.
