In a recent Premier League clash, Liverpool faced a controversial defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, which has left the team and its manager, Jurgen Klopp, grappling with more than just the loss of points. The match, which ended 2-1 in favor of Spurs, saw Liverpool's forward Cody Gakpo sustain an injury that could potentially sideline him for several weeks.
Klopp, in his post-match remarks, emphasized the injury to Gakpo as the most pressing concern arising from the game. "The biggest problem of the game, to be honest... before Cody Gakpo scored, we got a free-kick and he got injured and he is now with a brace limping down the corridor. That's my biggest problem, to be honest, in this moment. We lost two [to red cards] and maybe a third player - really bad, really bad. So, yes, that's something we have to deal with obviously," Klopp expressed to the media.
When probed about the severity of Gakpo's injury, Klopp responded with uncertainty, stating, "Possibly, I don't know." He further elaborated that Gakpo had to don a brace post-injury. Despite the injury, Gakpo managed to score Liverpool's sole goal during the match. However, Klopp revealed that the injury was exacerbated after Gakpo's shot, attributing it to a foul that occurred earlier.
The match's narrative was punctuated by key moments that went against Liverpool. Heung-Min Son opened the scoring for Tottenham in the 36th minute. Gakpo's equalizer came just a few minutes later, but the joy was short-lived as he had injured his knee shortly before, following a tackle by Tottenham's left-back Destiny Udogie. Gakpo was subsequently substituted at half-time for Diogo Jota. Reports later indicated that Gakpo exited the north London stadium on crutches, his right knee secured in a protective brace, awaiting further scans to determine the injury's extent.
The challenges for Liverpool didn't end there. Curtis Jones, their midfielder, received a straight red card in the first half after an unfortunate slip led him to catch Yves Bissouma. Adding to the controversy, a legitimate goal by Luis Diaz was erroneously ruled out for offside, a decision later acknowledged as a "clear and obvious factual error" by the VAR official, Darren England. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) subsequently issued a statement admitting to the "significant human error."
Liverpool's woes were compounded in the 69th minute when Diogo Jota received his marching orders after a second yellow card. The match culminated in a last-minute own goal by Liverpool's defender, Joel Matip, sealing the victory for Tottenham.
