Hard scenario, Liverpool presents casualties in the final stretch of the season

Liverpool fans might have been feeling some anxiety ahead of Saturday's trip to Brentford, given matches there are typically difficult for big sides in the Premier League. Despite a reasonable start by the hosts, the Reds soon garnered control in what was one of the strongest away performances of the season. But despite three important points in the nature of the title race, two first-half injuries to Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota will now leave the Reds with an anxious wait. And it is the Portugal international's injury that looked more serious after he was stretchered off following a poor challenge by Christian Nørgaard.

The curse of injuries does not stop, new record after Jota and Jones injuries

It was yet another bitter blow for the Reds as the injury list rather worryingly began to grow again. The numbers show why Jota could be a significant miss if he's ruled out for a lengthy period. It was clear early on how Jota was almost impossible to deal with for the Bees. As well as getting the assist with an intelligent flick to Darwin Núñez for Liverpool's opener, the 27-year-old always looked to react first to developing situations, while choosing the right moments to drive with the ball to open up the pitch.

It was a display that continued his recent run of form since coming back from injury, in which he has played a vital role in maintaining Liverpool's position at the top of the Premier League table. As noted by Michael Reid on X, Jota's assist was his 26th goal involvement in his last 37 matches for the Reds. Only 23 of those appearances have been from the start. In a run in which he has averaged a goal or an assist every 78 minutes, Jota's assist against Brentford was his 10th goal contribution in his last 11 games.

While Mohamed Salah's excellent display when coming on will provide cover, such output is difficult to replace, particularly when Jürgen Klopp's ideal plan would have been to have both of them on the pitch at the same time. Liverpool's next five fixtures include three Premier League clashes, with the last being a significant match at Anfield against Manchester City. Given that could decide who wins the Premier League title, Klopp will hope that both Jota and Jones will be back in contention for that one.

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The decisive moment

A goal for Cody Gakpo shows that Liverpool does have the squad to maintain its form, but without the seemingly unlimited budget that Pep Guardiola has at his disposal, any further injuries could be detrimental. And Klopp's reaction to some of the tackles on Saturday shows the importance of keeping the squad healthy at this time of the season.