Chris Sutton has claimed that Diogo Jota’s injury towards the end of Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday was a ‘nightmare’ for Jurgen Klopp, as he told BBC Sport.
The Liverpool attacker was taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Kostas Tsimikas, as the heavyweight encounter at Anfield went back and forth, with Mo Salah’s goal proving to be the difference-maker.
Jota started the game, alongside Roberto Firmino and Salah – summer signing Darwin Nunez came off the bench, whilst this was the first game for the Reds without long-term injury absentee, Luis Diaz.
Nonetheless, whilst Liverpool fans were pushing their team over the line in what was a frantic and all-action game on Merseyside.
It is a concern that Jota went off, and that on a stretcher, because Jurgen Klopp already has one attacker out of action until after the World Cup.
And whilst Colombia aren’t going to Qatar, Jota is expected to play a key role for Portugal, as Sutton expressed his worry at the attacker’s injury.
“Liverpool have had plenty of injuries, this is a nightmare,” said Sutton. “They don’t need this, it’s not a good sight [Jota going off on a stretcher].”
WRONG TIME TO GET INJURED
A number of players are already being told that they will miss the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from France’s N’Golo Kante to England’s Reece James.
Even the smallest of knocks, from here on in, is going to result in players fretting and fearing the worst.
That’s exactly what Jota will be feeling right now, and hopefully, for his sake, him going off on a stretcher was just the medical staff being more careful.
Either way, that was much-needed, not just three points for Liverpool, but a clean sheet because, in the Premier League, that has been a long time coming.
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