Liverpool dealt Ryan Gravenberch injury blow in EFL Cup final

Liverpool have been dealt a further injury blow after Ryan Gravenberch was stretchered off in the final of the EFL Cup against Chelsea at Wembley this afternoon.

The Dutch midfielder was carried off the field before the half-hour mark following a challenge by Chelsea's Moises Caicedo.

Caicedo, who opted to join Chelsea ahead of Liverpool last summer, caught Gravenberch late on the ankle, although no foul was given by referee Chris Kavanagh.

However, Gravenberch stayed down and eventually needed to be carried off on a stretcher after a few minutes of on-field treatment.

The 21-year-old was replaced by Joe Gomez after 27 minutes and will now undergo further scans to determine the extent of the serious-looking injury.

Gravenberch was seen on crutches and in a protective boot after the final whistle, raising more concerns that he could be set for an extended spell on the sidelines.

The latest setback adds to a mounting injury list for Jurgen Klopp, with Liverpool already missing 10 first-team players for the final.

Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez were not passed fit for the Wembley showpiece, joining the likes of Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Joel Matip, Dominik Szoboszlai, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic on the treatment table.

Liverpool went on to win Sunday's final courtesy of an extra-time winner by Virgil van Dijk, who had earlier seen a goal controversially ruled out by VAR.

In addition to having now won the EFL Cup, the Reds remain in the hunt for three more trophies in Klopp's final season as manager, as they currently sit top of the Premier League table and have reached the latest rounds of the FA Cup and Europa League.