Liverpool’s FA Cup encounter with Plymouth Argyle took a sour turn as Joe Gomez had to leave the field due to injury just ten minutes into the game.
Gomez, who was returning from a hamstring injury that kept him out for the entirety of January, was positioned in the center of a makeshift defense. However, he appeared uneasy from the start, and a tense moment with goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher hinted at his discomfort.
Shortly after, Gomez sat down on the pitch and gestured to the Liverpool bench, indicating that he was unable to continue.
Following a brief assessment by the Liverpool physios, Gomez was substituted, and 20-year-old Isaac Mabaya came on to make his senior debut.
Arne Slot opted not to bring Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate to Plymouth, choosing to rest them for the upcoming Merseyside derby against Everton. With limited options on the bench, Wataru Endo moved back to defense, while Mabaya took up a position on the right side of the back line.
Players like Alisson, Mohamed Salah, Conor Bradley, Andy Robertson, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Cody Gakpo did not travel for the match, and the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold and Tyler Morton were also absent.