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Liverpool head coach Arne Slot says the Reds are facing an anxious wait to discover the extent of the injury sustained by Giovanni Leoni, who was stretched off after an impressive debut against Southampton.
Italian defender was taken off the field on 81 minutes after a clash that saw him crash off the field. Leoni had done well up to that point, but could now be facing a period on the sidelines.
"Of course, he is down because for him it didn’t feel good immediately, but this is something now we have to assess," Slot said during his post-match press conference at Anfield.
"Normally, these things don’t happen in five to 10 minutes, and you have to wait for tomorrow to see how he comes in and then maybe do an MRI scan to know more about how serious it is.
"Normally, the emotions of a player tell you a lot. I saw during the weekend a player in the Dutch Eredivisie who went out completely in tears — Ruben van Bommel, by the way, of PSV — and a day later it proved to be that it was right. Let’s hope for the best."
Slot will offer the latest updates on the injury front when he speaks to the media on Friday morning ahead of the trip to Crystal Palace. The Reds will be without Hugo Ekitike, though, after he was sent off.
Liverpool head coach Slot said Ekitike's sending off "needless" and "stupid" after he was given a second caution for removing his jersey.
Ekitike, who came on at halftime, was booked minutes into the second half for an act of dissent after disagreeing with the referee, Thomas Bramall, over a foul given against him.
After scoring the winner past Alex McCarthy, the Frenchman then removed his shirt in celebration and will now be suspended for the trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
"I'm old-fashioned. I'm 47. If I had scored a goal like this, I would have turned to Federico Chiesa and said: 'This is all about you'," Slot said during his post-match press conference.
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The Reds boss also admitted that his side didn't perform to its best level in the match. "You can expect that if you play a complete new team," he said.
"So many players that haven't played for a long time. There were positives, Giorgi Mamardashvili had a good game, Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Leoni had a good game. A first goal for Alexander [Isak] and another from Hugo [Ekitike].
"Positives from the game but how we played as a team — not taking anything away from Southampton because they played well — it wasn't our best performance."
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