Post-Swansea Injury Round-Up: Freak Accidents and a Bit of Pain

Watching a match on delay means a fervent dedication to remaining unspoiled for the result. It's a tough ask at the best of times, and it means avoiding even the most benign information like starting line-ups lest there be a spoiler somewhere else on the periphery. Imagine my surprise to discover that after lengthy pre-match discussion about who might have the privilege of starting next to Daniel Agger, the great Dane himself was not to be found anywhere on the team sheet.

"He just had a really freak incident in the gym before coming out to training," Brendan Rodgers explained. "He overstretched when he was trying to prevent a dumbbell from falling on his foot. He has overstretched and pulled his side.

"We'll see if that settles down over the next couple of days; but if it doesn't, we've got ample replacements now. That was why we brought in extra players, to cover us for any injuries."

Rodgers stated that it was too early to tell whether Agger would be fit for Saturday's match against Southampton. With Skrtel finding a rich vein of form and both Mamadou Sakho and the magnificent Kolo Toure at his disposal, it would seem that the only replacement Rodgers needs at this point is a new spotter for the gym at Melwood.

At the other end of the pitch, Philippe Coutinho was once again roughed up by his opponents, this time having the misfortune of being on the losing end of a charming Ashley Williams tackle.

"I haven't seen the tackle," the ever diplomatic gaffer said. "[Coutinho]'s very sore in the changing room, and we're hoping it will only be bruising." The Brazilian was seen emerging from the dressing room in a (hopefully precautionary) sling, and will have a scan later today to assess the damage.

Finally, Daniel Sturridge confirmed that he still doesn't feel 100% coming back from his injury that controversially kept him from international duty last week.

"To be honest with you, I don't feel fit," the striker told Sky Sports. "I only trained for the first time with the boys on Friday. I was disappointed to not be there (with England) because it was a big opportunity for me, but hopefully I'll be okay and selected to play next time."

If there's a silver lining to all this injury woe, it's that Liverpool still scraped a result on the road despite not fielding its strongest or fittest line-up. We'll keep saying this until it stops being true, but this is a match Liverpool would have lost last year in the same circumstances.