Roberto Firmino was given the all-clear after suffering an eye injury during Saturday’s 1-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Brazilian striker was poked in the eye, seemingly inadvertently, by Jan Vertonghen with fifteen minutes to go in the contest. He was unable to continue and was subsequently substituted by Jordan Henderson.
However, Firmino was discharged from a local hospital a few hours after the game, having been diagnosed with an eye abrasion. He will now travel back to Liverpool under the supervision of club doctor Andy Massey.
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Liverpool noted that their no. 9 “has not been ruled out” of Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain, but one would think that Jürgen Klopp is unlikely to risk him if he is not at a 100 percent. If Firmino does not start, Klopp could choose to strengthen the midfield with Henderson and leave Sadio Mané and Mo Salah up top like in the closing moments of the victory against Tottenham. The likes of Daniel Sturridge or Xherdan Shaqiri could also be handed a rare start with an eye on Liverpool’s packed September schedule.
The striker appears hopeful of returning to action soon. “It was just a scare,” he said on his Instagram account. “My eye is ok and so am I. Thank you for all the support and see you soon.”
His wife Larissa also reassured everyone that he was fine, “Everything is okay with Roberto. He has already been examined and is returning home. Thank you for your concern.”
Despite Firmino’s injury, referee Michael Oliver actually ruled the incident as a foul against him. This drew the ire of Reds supporters on social media, who lashed out at Oliver:
So vertonghen fouled firmino, then punches him in the face, then dives, the handballs it and gets a free kick. Lovely stuff from Michael Oliver. Been awful all game
— Elliot Beavis (@ElliotBeavis1) September 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/jbj/status/1040948124804628481
A gruesome picture of Firmino’s injury has also gone viral, with Vertonghen’s finger firmly entrenched in his right eye.
https://twitter.com/SquawkaNews/status/1040971619085299712
Liverpool will need Firmino this week as they take on PSG in the Champions League group stage.