Fan injures keeper, puts Liverpool in tight spot

WASHINGTON • Goalkeeper Adrian saved the day for Liverpool during Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup match against Chelsea in Istanbul, his right leg knocking away Tammy Abraham’s penalty kick to secure the victory. It was a meaningful moment in a mostly meaningless game: The match between the most recent winners of the Champions League (Liverpool) and Europa League (Chelsea) is not considered one of European football’s top trophies, but the winners still celebrated heartily.

During that celebration, a fan rushed onto the pitch toward the Liverpool scrum. A security guard was able to catch him, but his tackle attempt brought the fan down just as he reached the players and he went crashing feet-first into the crowd, right into Adrian’s ankle.

Now Liverpool has something of a goalkeeping issue as its prepares for its second Premier League match of the season at Southampton on Saturday.

Alisson Becker started Liverpool’s Premier League opener against Norwich on Friday but left the match after 38 minutes with a calf injury (he’s expected to miss a few weeks). Adrian replaced him, but now it’s not “100 per cent clear” if he can go Saturday because of his swollen ankle, coach Jurgen Klopp said Friday. If he can’t, goalkeeping duties likely will fall to Andy Lonergan, who spent last season with third-tier Rochdale and recently was released by second-tier Middlesbrough. Lonergan trained with Liverpool during its summer exhibition tour of the United States and played one-half of one game.

Caoimhin Kelleher, a 20-year-old from Ireland who has been in the Liverpool system since 2015, was on Liverpool’s bench for the match against Chelsea but is battling a wrist injury. “Caoimhin is a boy we are all excited about,” Klopp said Friday. “He’s now in training, but not 100 per cent yet. He has to be in training today, then we will see.”

As for Klopp’s thoughts on the pitch invader? “There is no doubt how much we love our fans but if they could all stop doing that.”

“That’s the worst example I have so far heard about. . . . It’s not funny, what can I say? I like the fact we don’t have fences in the stadium but it means the supporters have a lot of responsibility. It’s crazy. You think, ‘Wow, how can this thing happen?’”

The Washington Post