Clash with Klopp leaves Liverpool's Tsimikas with bizarre injury

Following their nail-biting stalemate at Anfield, Liverpool failed in their attempt to unseat Arsenal as the Premier League leaders.

In a thrilling match, both teams might have taken the lead going into Christmas had they won. However, they had to settle for a draw. As early as the fourth minute, Arsenal got off to the ideal start thanks to defender Gabriel’s header.

After taking a sweeping ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool equalized after 29 minutes thanks to a thunderous finish from Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian raced in from close range to beat Gunners keeper David Raya.

In the midst of it, when Odegaard handled the ball, it seemed as if the home side were short a penalty. From that point on, Jurgen Klopp‘s players had more chances to score, albeit Arsenal remained a danger.

Harvey Elliott, who was substituted, just missed the post. Although he had the finest opportunity of the half, Alexander-Arnold missed the target when attempting a counterattack.

Although this was a high-level match, both teams missed opportunities to win. Thanks to the tie, Arsenal are now in first place with 40 points. They are followed by Liverpool in second place with 39 points and Aston Villa in third.

What happened during game?

A devastating injury derailed the game, though. In the minutes leading up to halftime, Saka of Arsenal and Tsimikas of Liverpool collided off the ball on the sideline.

The Greek defender had an unsteady landing and managed to topple his manager, Jurgen Klopp due to his momentum. Because of his obvious pain, the 27-year-old had to be replaced by Joe Gomez.

The news that he had been transported to the hospital was announced at halftime on Sky Sports. The worst-case scenario has now been verified by Jurgen Klopp himself.

“Of course, it affected me. I had no pain but thought maybe Kostas was going to be fine. I would happily give my collarbone for him to be fit again. It is not cool when something like that happens in front of you and you are involved in that, I was not sure what even happened or if I fell on him. It is not nice to see.

“It [the result] was massively overshadowed by Kostas Tsimikas’ collarbone issue, definitely broken, so he is out for a long time. The other issues we will have to see. It is hard for us to swallow with the Robertson situation”, the German boss said after the game.

Liverpool’s injury woes never seem to end

With Tsimikas’ injury, Klopp now has another problem at fullback. The first-choice leftback Andy Robertson is already out with a shoulder injury.

While playing for Scotland on the international stage in October, Robertson hurt his shoulder, which necessitated surgery. At the latest, he won’t be back until next month.

It has so far prevented the Reds from fielding their most lethal starting lineup. Gomez, who took over for the Greek ace, can’t be considered a permanent fix since he isn’t naturally gifted in that position.

Waiting anxiously for word on the severity of Tsimikas’ injury is now Liverpool’s main concern. Unfortunately, the Reds will miss him throughout their hectic Christmas schedule. It includes a Boxing Day trip to Burnley and a New Year’s Day arrival to Anfield by Newcastle. 

Photo credit: IMAGO / Sportimage