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'Pray he is OK': Premier League rocked by 'sickening' incident

andrew reid
·4-min read
Pictured here, Rui Patricio was stretchered off being knocked out against Liverpool.
Rui Patricio was stretchered from the field after a lengthy period of treatment on the pitch. Pic: Getty

Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo has confirmed that goalkeeper Rui Patricio was awake and talking after a horror incident in his side's Premier League defeat to Liverpool.

The Reds won the contest 1-0 at the Molineux thanks to a goal from former Wolves forward Diogo Jota, but it was a terrifying accident involving the home side's goalkeeper that overshadowed the match.

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Patricio needed 14 minutes of treatment on the pitch, before he was stretchered off the field after a scary collision with teammate Conor Coady.

The horror incident brought back scary memories of the skull fracture suffered by striker Raul Jimenez after a collision with Arsenal defender David Luiz in November.

Coady headed Wolves' best chance of an equaliser over the bar and Salah had a goal disallowed for offside with four minutes remaining, with the ensuing passage of play resulting in Patricio's injury.

The goalkeeper came off his line at the same time Coady raced back to try and stop Salah, with the defender's knee accidentally clattering into the keeper's head as both went to ground.

Patricio needed oxygen and lengthy treatment before being replaced by concussion substitute John Ruddy.

"It was an awful situation. In these moments everything loses importance immediately," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said after the match.

Fans also flooded social media with well wishes for Patricio in the immediate aftermath of the sickening incident.

The Wolves manager offered a positive update on Patricio after the final whistle, but admitted he had no idea how long the goalkeeper would be out of action for.

“He is OK, he is awake, he is conscious. He’s speaking and remembers what happened. He is in good hands, he is being assessed by the doctors," Espirito Santo said.

“You have to take the right precautions, but he is OK. It was a collision with the knee of Coady, a big knock to his head but he is OK.

“We have to wait (before knowing whether he will miss games) and the following hours are important, he is going to be with the doctors and we have to wait for what’s happening.

“These situations can happen, even in a normal situation of the game.

Pictured here, Rui Patricio cops an accidental knee to the head from teammate Conor Coady.
Rui Patricio was knocked out after an accidental knee to the head by Wolves teammate Conor Coady. Pic: Getty

“We played a good game, we competed well. We should do better with the final touch and final passes, but there was a good attitude and we fought until the end. They competed and gave everything they had.”

Wolves were undone by former forward Jota who scored his first goal since November following a knee injury.

He settled the match in first-half stoppage time when he finished a fine move from 16 yards after Salah and Sadio Mane combined.

Liverpool had lost six of their previous seven top-flight outings, but victory at mid-table Wolves lifted them to sixth in the Premier League, although still five points behind Chelsea as they chase a top-four spot.

with agencies

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