LONDON: What should have been the moment that kick-started Alexander Isak’s Liverpool career instead ended in fresh uncertainty, as the striker was forced off injured shortly after scoring in a hard-fought win over Tottenham.

Liverpool’s 125 million pound signing had come off the bench to finish calmly past Guglielmo Vicario, giving Arne Slot’s side the lead and offering a glimpse of a future built around record signings. The goal was created by Florian Wirtz, who registered his first Premier League assist following his 116m pound move in the summer, a brief but promising snapshot of Liverpool’s next generation with Mohamed Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations and Cody Gakpo sidelined.

Moments later, however, concern replaced celebration. Isak went down in pain after a challenge from Micky van de Ven and was unable to continue. Slot later admitted the signs were worrying. “If a player scores and then doesn’t try to come back on, that’s usually not a good thing,” he said.

The injury compounded Liverpool’s growing list of concerns. Conor Bradley had already been withdrawn at half-time after a knock, while Isak was replaced on the hour by Jeremie Frimpong, making his first appearance since October. Frimpong himself was taken off late on, with Federico Chiesa introduced as a precaution to avoid finishing with 10 men.

Despite Hugo Ekitike’s goal eventually securing victory, Liverpool nearly squandered the advantage against nine-man Tottenham, who had Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero sent off. Spurs poured forward late on, prompting Jamie Redknapp to describe Liverpool’s game management as “a masterclass on how not to manage the final 10 minutes”.

Slot conceded his side struggled to control the closing stages. “We didn’t keep the ball. It became very chaotic and hectic,” he said, though he pointed to positives in a six-game unbeaten run that includes four wins.
Liverpool head into Christmas level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea after a difficult spell earlier in the season, but the performance once again raised questions. Chief among them is the extent of Isak’s injury — and how long Liverpool will be without their most expensive signing.