Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to be assessed on Merseyside after injury scare in Brighton win
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson suffered an injury scare as his side edged closer to a record-breaking finish to their title campaign.
Henderson picked up a knee problem in the final stages of the 3-1 victory over Brighton, returning to Merseyside with his squad for further medical assessment.
Manager Jurgen Klopp said it is unclear at this stage if the problem is serious, but there was clearly some concern. Although Liverpool have only four fixtures left this season, they will not want to lose any key players while pushing for 100 points, or ahead of the preparations of their title defence given the swift turnaround between the end of this campaign and the start of the next.
“I do not know. I did not see the situation on the pitch, but I know it probably will not be nothing,” said Klopp.
“We will have to wait.”
Mo Salah edged closer to a third consecutive Premier League golden boot with two goals in the win, and then claimed his impressive assists record is too often overlooked.
Salah now has 19 goals for the season, three behind Jamie Vardy at the top of the strike list. He also contributed his ninth assist of the campaign for his role in Jordan Henderson’s strike.
“I don’t know why (it gets overlooked). I have a good number since I came here. The people always look at me as a goalscorer more than assists but in my position I think I am doing well,” said Salah.
“I am looking for the next one. Let’s take it game by game.”
Klopp was informed that Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have been responsible for 250 goals during his Kop reign.
“That is really exceptional. Imagine where I would be if these boys did not play for me! Wow. Imagine our situation minus 250 goals.”
Brighton coach Graham Potter felt his side competed well with the champions, but hastened their own downfall with early errors.
“We played well over the course of the game, especially after going two down in the manner we did,” said Potter.
“They smelt blood because we gifted them two goals. There are positives and things to learn.”
Asked if his side was guilty of naive tactics, he added: “It is my responsibility. Our decision making can improve but we wanted to be brave against the best. We will learn from that tonight. The overall response was good. We were in the game and fighting. Lesser teams would have crumbled and we didn’t.”
