Liverpool suffered a 2-1 defeat by Brighton in Saturday's early kick-off in the Premier League - and the result was made worse by Hugo Ekitike limping off in a few minutes in
Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool leaves the pitch due to a injury
Hugo Ekitike went off injured early in the Brighton defeat(Image: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Arne Slot has allayed any fears of a serious injury to Hugo Ekitike after the Liverpool striker was forced off in the defeat by Brighton. Ekitike had to be substituted in the early stages of the 2-1 loss on Saturday after a clash.
The striker was injured in a challenge with ex-Liverpool man James Milner in the opening minutes. He appeared to hurt his thigh and, after trying to play on, had to be replaced by Curtis Jones.
It was a major blow for Liverpool on the south coast and two goals from Danny Welbeck saw them slip to defeat, despite Milos Kerkez's goal. The Reds were already without Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker for the match and Ekitike's injury left them even shorter.
Thankfully, Slot said that the Frenchman had not suffered a long-term injury. "Hugo could play tomorrow if he had to," Slot said in his post-match press conference. "It was a dead leg. It was a collision that led to him going off. It was not helpful."
Speaking to TNT Sports, he added: "The players, the fans, we all know there's only eight games to go to qualify for the Champions League.
"Every game you have to miss is something you're upset about. Him having to go off so early, not being able to help the team with something which is just a bit of bad luck and not something that's going to be keeping him out for three months, as far as we know.
"It was bad enough to not be able to continue and it's a big blow for him, and in the end was a big blow for us too."
Hugo Ekitike
Hugo Ekitike looked dejected when he walked off(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
View 2 Images
It was a poor performance from Liverpool, who failed to jump past Aston Villa into fourth place or take momentum from their 4-0 win over Galatasaray in the Champions League. They were outplayed by Brighton, who have now won four of their last five league games to move up to eighth place.
"We've lost a lot of points after playing in Europe like this, I've tried to explain a lot of times already why this is," Slot said. "But today we have to give credit to Brighton, I think in the second half they were the better team."
Content cannot be displayed without consent
Join our LFC WhatsApp community and get all the latest LFC news, views, transfer gossip and more, as it happens We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
Content Image