Liverpool forward Diogo Jota played a crucial role in the 4-1 victory against Brentford but he could be out for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The 27-year-old provided an assist for Darwin Nunez’s goal with a terrific glancing header at the Gtech community stadium on Saturday (17 February) as Liverpool picked their first win at Brentford in the Premier League era.
Soon after, he picked up a nasty injury after Brentford skipper Christian Norgaard landed on his knee following an aerial challenge.
Jota, who was superb for Liverpool in the absence of Mohamed Salah, received treatment from the club doctor immediately. His knee bent awkwardly and was stretched off.
Tim Sherwood, while analyzing the game on Premier League TV production, said during the half-time break that Jota showed “unbelievable” vision while creating the chance for Nunez.
Jermaine Jenas, speaking on TNT Sports (as relayed by BBC Sport), also echoed a similar sentiment.
“That header, that is an unbelievable vision from Jota,” said Sherwood while analyzing Nunez’s goal.
Diogo Jota – huge miss for Liverpool
Jota managed nine goals and three assists in the Premier League this season in just 13 starts for the club. He also scored five goals in other cup competitions, and missing him would be a massive blow for the Reds.
The Portuguese striker walked freely to the treatment room and it felt like the injury may not be serious. However, Klopp confirmed that early signs indicate that it’s not looking good.
According to a report from the Portuguese newspaper Record, Jota has picked up a cruciate ligament injury, and this is not a worst-case scenario. It is not an anterior tear, rather the impact of the injury is likely to be posterior.
It has been suggested that Jota could miss out on at least two months of action. The good news is that Jota could be available at some point again this season. But, he is expected to miss some crucial games, as we approach the business end of the season.
He will definitely miss the Carabao Cup final and also the next FA Cup game. He is likely to miss crucial Premier League clashes against Manchester City, Everton and Manchester United as well.
In other news, Tony Cascarino left extremely impressed by one Liverpool player who has incredible energy.
