Arne Slott has revealed that Giorgi Mamadashvili, who made Freddie Woodman’s surprise derby debut in Liverpool’s match against Everton, has been taken to hospital with an injury. Mamadashvili sustained a leg injury when he was involved in a tangle with Beto and Andy Robertson when the Toffees striker called off Mohamed Salah’s opener at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and was carried off on a stretcher after undergoing lengthy treatment.
Woodman replaced Alisson Becker with a hamstring injury as goalkeeper, but Woodman kept a personal clean sheet and Virgil van Dijk’s header in stoppage time sealed Liverpool’s dramatic victory in their 248th Merseyside derby. If Alisson and Mamadashvili remain sidelined, Woodman is ready to make his first Premier League start for Liverpool at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday, against the same opponent he faced on his Reds debut in October’s League Cup defeat.
Slott said: “Giorge had a big injury and had to go to hospital so we’ll see. But Freddie deserves a lot of credit. Even if he had to come on after conceding 1-1, which the fans were prepared for (Everton’s goal), he did a really good job.”
“Even in a difficult moment when you didn’t know if you were going to catch the ball, yes or no, he stayed calm, but he kept his nerve. We worked hard to get to this moment and normally third goalkeepers don’t play that much, but in a season like ours, if you’re playing for Liverpool under-8s, you should be ready for your debut, because what’s happening to us is unbelievable.”
Liverpool are already without Hugo Ekitike and Joe Gomez from the squad that faced Paris Saint-Germain last Tuesday, with Slott opting to name just eight Everton replacements, including academy goalkeeper Armin Peksi.
Slott continued, “Was there anything surprising about injuries this season? We had two goalies on the bench today, so maybe we already expected that, which usually doesn’t happen, but of course it has to do with the availability of all the other positions. Freddie did a great job.”
