DEJAN Lovren. Two words that have spread fear throughout the Liverpool fanbase like no other.
When Mamadou Sakho crumpled to the floor as he landed awkwardly contesting a header against Crystal Palace, Anfield drew a deep breath. The lanky Frenchman has had a chequered injury record in his two-year spell at the club, but this was different.
This was no muscular injury that he is so susceptible to. The more innocuous an injury looks, the worse its prognosis. Sakho showed the fortitude and attitude that has quickly made him a fan favourite this autumn, as he hobbled back onto the pitch to continue, as if he too had realised what, or who, was coming next.
“Sakho, Sakho” – the chants rained down from a sodden Anfield. But it was clear he could barely walk, that this warrior of a centre-half had been let down by his fragile body yet again.