Loris Karius says Liverpool are confident they can maintain high levels when they lose a big player

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Divock Origi replaced Philippe Coutinho after the Brazilian was stretchered off in their 2-0 win over Sunderland and the Belgian opened the scoring.

Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius has suggested their win over Sunderland on Saturday was an example of their squad depth and options available to them, the Liverpool Echo reports.

The Reds suffered a blow during in the first half when Philippe Coutinho was stretchered off with what appeared to be an ankle injury before he left Anfield on crutches.

Divock Origi was the man who replaced him, and the Belgian managed to break Sunderland’s resistance in the closing stages of the game as he opened the scoring to send the Reds on their way to a 2-0 win to ensure they keep pace with their title rivals.

Karius is quoted in the Liverpool Echo, saying: “Of course it’s not nice to see your team-mate and so great a player go off injured like that.

“We change a good player out and we still have high quality coming in. That’s a very good sign.

“Everyone is confident that when we have to change a player, the player coming on keeps the level or even lifts it so that’s a really good thing for us.”

It is a good sign for Liverpool that they have someone hungry like Origi to come off the bench and try to make that impact but one cannot ignore the fact that losing Coutinho for a certain period of time is a blow for the Reds; especially at a stage of the season when the fixtures are getting that much busier.

But the competition for places is there as the Reds look to sustain their title challenge. Origi is by no means a replacement for Coutinho, but he offers a different dynamic in giving the attack more of a focal point, and his pace allows him to drift into wider positions and still be a threat.

Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana both missed the weekend’s win. Although things are a little unclear when it comes to Sturridge’s injury, the Reds will hope Lallana is available for Sunday’s trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League.