It’s not been a good few days for Liverpool, with Arne Slot’s injury crisis showing no sign of letting up
Dan Burnham Senior Sports Reporter/Content Editor
05:00, 10 Feb 2026
Virgil van Dijk isn’t happy with the amount of late goals Liverpool have been conceding(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool will likely still be wondering how they let their 1-0 lead against Manchester City slip in a frantic final 20 minutes at Anfield on Sunday. Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free-kick was cancelled out by a Bernardo Silva finish and an Erling Haaland penalty, before the Hungarian saw red in a VAR check that also ruled out a Rayan Cherki third.
The upside for the Reds is they have a chance to quickly put the crushing defeat behind them, although Wednesday’s trip to the Stadium of Light – where Sunderland remain unbeaten in the Premier League this season – will present another stern test. Szoboszlai will be missing for Arne Slot, who’s already been having to contend with an injury crisis.
Regardless of his selection woes, Slot knows he has to get his side’s challenge for Champions League football back on track with just 13 games to go. Otherwise the Dutchman could see his position come under serious scrutiny.
Skipper Virgil van Dijk is under no illusions about the task at hand, while there’s more concerning news surrounding new signing Jeremy Jacquet. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at the latest headlines surrounding Liverpool.
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Van Dijk makes demand
After keeping Haaland largely at bay for the majority of the game, Van Dijk cut a particularly frustrated figure in the aftermath of the 2-1 defeat. He demanded improvements from his team-mates after they shipped their sixth stoppage-time goal of the season, which have cost them eight points in total.
READ MORE: VAR verdict reached after Man City vs Liverpool farce with changes demandedREAD MORE: Ex-Premier League referee explains why VAR was RIGHT in Man City vs Liverpool controversy
“I think you can’t compare all of the goals [conceded in stoppage time],” Van Dijk said. “I think maybe you can compare the Crystal Palace goal and the Bournemouth goal but this one you can’t compare with the others. But the fact is that we conceded that late on and I keep saying it but we have to do better in this.
“You also have to remember that you’re playing against City, who are obviously very comfortable on the ball, and at times, when you don’t win the ball, because we did many times as well, I think making the right decisions could have been better.
“But yeah, it’s easy now to maybe say that we dropped off too much and that’s why they scored the equaliser. Overall the feeling that I have right now is that in the first half we weren’t good enough, in the second half we were much better but still disappointed we lost.
“At the moment [we don’t take positives] because I’m disappointed that we lost. But I will do everything in my power to recover and then we’ll discuss it and then we have to turn our attention very, very quickly to an opponent that is having a very good season, especially at home, so it will be a big battle.”
Jacquet ‘could require surgery’
Jacquet is set for an extended spell on the sidelines(Image: Emilian Baldow/Icon Sport via Getty Images)
Jacquet’s £60million arrival in the summer was agreed during an otherwise quiet January transfer window for the Reds. The 20-year-old remained at Rennes for the rest of the season to continue his development in France for the time being.
However, that line of thinking may now be rendered redundant, with L’Equipe claiming he could require surgery on the shoulder injury he suffered in a 3-1 defeat to Lens on Saturday. He was forced off in the second half after an awkward landing.
His now-former boss Habib Beye, who parted ways with the Ligue 1 club on Monday, said post-match: “For Jeremy, it’s his shoulder. We’ll have time to see, but it’s definitely quite serious.”
It’s suggested surgery would keep him out for several weeks at least, possibly for the rest of the season, while it could even impact his pre-season on Merseyside. While still early days yet, Slot will hope it’s not as bad as first feared having already lost Giovanni Leoni to a long-term injury, as well as anticipating Ibrahima Konate’s exit as a free agent at the end of the season.
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