Liverpool dealt injury blow as star man to be ruled out for upto 3 weeks after picking up injury in loss to Crystal Palace - Reports
Liverpool faced a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday, April 14. Early into the second half, the Reds' right-back Conor Bradley was down on the ground and seemed to be in pain with the medical team on the pitch.
In the 48th minute, the 20-year-old Northern Irish defender was helped off the pitch and substituted by Trent Alexander-Arnold. In the post-match conference, Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp addressed Conor Bradley's situation during the game and said (via The Independent):
"I don't know. Is the ligament damaged or not? I don’t know, so we will get this information tomorrow or Tuesday, but it was very painful for him so that's not cool."
Bradley will be reportedly out for three weeks due to the injury and can miss the upcoming four fixtures. There is a chance of him returning to the field in the clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on May 5. It is the Reds' penultimate home game in the league for the season.
With Bradley's injury, Trent Alexander-Arnold will likely be replacing him in the upcoming fixtures. The latter had been out since February with a knee injury and made his return to the field in the match against Crystal Palace. Joe Gomez is the other choice as a right-back for Liverpool. Bradley, meanwhile, has netted one goal and provided six assists in 22 appearances across competitions this season.
Against Crystal Palace, meanwhile, the Eagles' midfielder Eberechi Eze opened the scoring in the 14th minute of the match. The home side could've conceded another in the next four minutes as Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker slipped. But left-back Andrew Robertson cleared Jean-Phillipe Mateta's shot off the line.
Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson made a few good saves while Liverpool missed a number of chances in the game. They had 21 shots but just six on target while Palace had eight shots with five on target.
Liverpool's current standing in the Premier League
With the loss against Crystal Palace, the Reds are now standing third in the Premier League table with 71 points in 32 matches. They have two draws, one loss, and two wins in their last five game fixtures. They have a two-point difference with table-toppers Manchester City.
Liverpool have the same points as second-place Arsenal. However, the Gunners made it to the upper rank due to their high goal difference (49-41). Jurgen Klopp's squad play against Fulham next at Craven Cottage in the league on April 21, 2024.
Before that, though, Liverpool will face Atalanta BC in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, April 18. The Reds lost 3-0 in the first leg in their home ground, Anfield.