Wolverhampton Wanderers' Rui Patricio suffered a worrying injury against Liverpool on Monday night.The Portuguese goalkeeper was involved in a collision with Conor Coady moments after Mohamed Salah scored a goal that was immediately ruled out for offside.However, attention quickly turned from the linesman raising his flag to the fact that Patricio was laying almost motionless on the pitch having come into contact with his own player.
Concern for Patricio vs Liverpool
As a result, there was a sizeable stoppage in the game as medical staff attended to the 33-year-old, eventually producing a concussion substitution in order to prioritise his safety.
It was clear that Patricio couldn't continue between the sticks as John Ruddy was brought on as his replacement and the fourth official awarded a sizeable seven minutes of injury time.
The concerns surrounding Patricio's health were such that oxygen was administered on the Molineux pitch and Sky Sports did not show replays out of respect for his condition.
Patricio's injury will, of course, come as a serious blow to Wolves who have already suffered a major head injury this season with Raul Jimenez fracturing his skull against Arsenal in November.
Santo provides update
However, Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo was able to provide a positive update on the health of his number eleven after the game, which finished in a 1-0 win for the Premier League champions.
“He’s okay and he’s conscious," Santo confirmed to Sky Sports. "It was a challenge with the knee of Coady, but he’s okay. He remembers everything, he’s okay, he’s going to recover.”
Nevertheless, it is the latest reminder that football must do everything in its power to protect players from head injuries because they can not only threaten careers, but long-term health in general.
There was, after all, concern surrounding the 'late flag' rule that has been introduced because of VAR and whether that would have made a difference in situations like these.
On behalf of everyone at GIVEMESPORT, we send our best wishes to Patricio and hope that any injuries sustained are not serious.