How Jurgen Klopp reacted to Andy Robertson’s injury when Mike Dean received unexpected help during Liverpool’s friendly

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Liverpool returned to Anfield on Sunday for their first La Liga double game before the new Premier League season kicks off next weekend.

With the Reds traveling to Norwich City on Saturday and beginning their final preparations at home against Athletic Bilbao, after 18 months, they were finally able to welcome the fans at an almost full Anfield stadium.

40,000 fans were in attendance to watch Jurgen Klopp’s side draw 1-1 in the penultimate pre-season friendly as Alex Berenger canceled out Diogo Jota’s superb goal, but the crowd’s return was not without teething problems as the kick-off had to be postponed until 4:30 Evening as large queues waited outside.

Fortunately, the delay ensured that fans were able to get their seats initially without missing a beat, having missed their team’s game at Anfield since March 2020.

But that didn’t stop there were some moments fans might have missed as we take a look at what went under the radar.

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Klopp’s Robertson reaction while Beck waited

Having seen Liverpool’s season derailed by defensive injuries last season, the bad law was that the Reds’ return to Anfield saw another setback in the backline.

However, as Virgil van Dijk returns home as he continues to recover from an ACL injury, it was ironic that the man who was forced to leave was Andy Robertson as the Scotsman was a regular fixture in the Premier League last season.

Jurgen Klopp was understandably concerned about the left-back’s injury late in the first half after he appeared to twist his right ankle when he blocked Alex Berenger’s cross, which alarmed a number of his teammates, including Naby Keita. After crying out in pain.

After receiving treatment on the field, only a stretcher was sent to the Scotsman to be sent away as he limped while two members of staff in the Reds’ back hall helped him introduce ‘Oh Andy, Andy’.

As he slowly limped down the touchline, Klopp was heading straight to check on the left-back as he left his technical area, waiting in a row on the edge of the penalty area for Robertson on the side of the field, before stepping back. With the left-back, deep conversation.

With the setback occurring late in the first half, Owen Beck was ready to take the Scotsman’s place. However, he was not able to recognize the event before the end of the first half whistle, meaning he spent the warm-up period before late Liverpool put 11 players back in time for the match to resume.

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The sound of Anfield is wrong

With the kick-off postponed to ensure more fans could get to their seats, it wasn’t just Beck who made him wait for the game at Anfield on Saturday.

The start of Liverpool’s match with Athletic Bilbao was initially postponed to 4:15pm, before a second delay ensured the friendly would not start until 4:30pm, with captain Jordan Henderson and Adrian, both set to face Osasuna on Monday. At night, among those in the stands cheering Klopp’s side.

However, fans inside the grounds had a brief moment of panic when stadium announcer George Sefton gave an update on when proceedings would begin, mistakenly stating that kick-off would not be until 5:30pm.

After he fired snaps around the field, he quickly corrected himself to amusing those in their seats, proving that it’s not just players using pre-season as a warm-up before the Premier League kicks off.

vanishing spray

It was a busy weekend for referee Mike Dean, who was at Brenton Park on Saturday to watch his beloved Tranmere Rovers begin their second-league campaign against Walsall, less than 24 hours before Liverpool’s friendly match with Athletic Bilbao is to be administered.

And he was right in the midst of the action, even accidentally stopping a promising Reds attack in its tracks in the dying embers of the game when he got in the way of clever Ben Woodburn between the ball.

Granted the drop ball, as now when the ball hits an official after being made in rule changes prior to the 2019/20 season, there was a short delay before play could start because Woodburn’s pass had already caused vanishing spray to fall off Dean’s belt when calling the referee.

His absence was not immediately noticed, luckily one of the Bilbao players did and was on hand to retrieve the can and return it to the referee before he could drop the ball and allow play to resume.

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Harvey Elliott proves his separation

As a boyhood Liverpool fan, you can tell how much Harvey Elliott has enjoyed being a part of Liverpool’s first team this pre-season.

Selected again in midfield, he was the star of the Reds against Bilbao and worked his way up the midfield standings by at least a few points.

But it wasn’t just during the live event where he showcased his class, as he began distributing water bottles to the Bilbao players as Robertson was receiving treatment before the break.

Unfortunately he did not score a goal for Klopp’s side when he was rejected by the crossbar, he was substituted in the 84th minute to a standing ovation as he gave the returning fans cheers of applause to all four corners of the stadium.

The last man to leave the field after the final whistle, Elliott handed his shoes to one of the lucky fans in the stands after the match, before returning to the field to take pictures and sign autographs for those still in the main stands.

At a time when fans have been a long way from their idols for a long time, small gestures are what count.

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