Liverpool hit with new injury blow in Tottenham game as Arne Slot makes peculiar substitution

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has lost yet another defender to injury, as Jarell Quansah was taken off in the first half of their EFL Cup semi-final first leg with Tottenham Hotspur.

The 21-year-old was brought into the starting lineup for just his sixth start of the season in North London, benefitting from inevitable rotation alongside Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas.

Quansah had played the full 90 in each of Liverpool's first three EFL Cup wins over West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton this season, but he only got to the 30-minute mark in Wednesday's game.

The centre-back sat down on the turf by the byline with an unspecified issue, although it appeared to have been a problem relating to either a rib or his abdomen based on the initial treatment being given by the medics.

Slot took no chances over the fitness of Quansah, but instead of sending on Ibrahima Konate as a like-for-like replacement, the Dutchman decided to introduce Wataru Endo into the fray.

Konate has only just come back from the knee injury he picked up at the end of November, while Endo has played centre-back before, despite mainly being used as a defensive midfielder since arriving at Anfield.

Quansah's problem came after Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was stretchered off with a worrying head injury earlier in the first half, where play was stopped for 10 minutes while the South American received treatment.