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Klopp fears muscle injury for Firmino after Liverpool star's early withdrawal against Chelsea
The Brazilian managed just over 40 minutes in his first start of the season before coming off for Diego Jota
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted that Roberto Firmino is not in good shape after becoming an early casualty in his side's 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Saturday.
Firmino completed just over 40 minutes of the Premier League clash before coming off for Diego Jota with the Reds trailing at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah later restored parity from the penalty spot as Reece James saw red for handling on the line , but the hosts failed to press home their advantage and had to settle for a point as the 10-man Blues dug in after the break.
What was said?
"Is Firmino okay? Not really. Probably a muscle. I hope it is not too big," the German explained to Sky Sports after the final whistle.
The Brazilian had only recently returned to the starting line-up after coming off the bench in Liverpool's opening two Premier League clashes, having felt the effects of a busy summer of international football with the Selecao.
In his absence Diego Jota proved an admirable replacement, scoring in back-to-back wins over Norwich City and Burnley; while the upcoming international break will afford Firmino a fortnight's recovery before Klopp's men return to league action.
'Obviously deserved'
The manner of Liverpool's equaliser caused some discussion, with doubt remaining over whether James intended to handle on the line.
Klopp, though, is convinced that the right decision was made.
"The goal we got was obviously very deserved. I think it is a clear penalty. We forced it in that situation," he added.
"Second half everyone thinks 'come on'. There is a definite advantage in possession, you have to outnumber them and defend them really high, but the defensive structure changes in that case that they are only defending slightly deeper but they have eight players defending that area around the box so we couldn’t use that.
"We had our shots from distance, I would have loved to have been a bit closer for the rebound but it was a good game."
