Plymouth1 - 0Liverpool

The 27-year-old was bestowed with the captain's armband for the trip to Home Park, starting in the heart of defence alongside Jarell Quansah, but his race was run with just 11 minutes on the clock.

Twenty-year-old Isaac Mabaya replaced Gomez in the Liverpool side as the Premier League leaders slumped to a shock defeat in the fourth round, thus joining an unwanted FA Cup club also comprising Chelsea and Manchester City.

Ryan Hardie's penalty was enough to condemn Liverpool to a premature exit from the competition, and concern quickly turned to Gomez's condition with the Merseyside derby on the horizon.

The England international's start on Sunday marked his first appearance in 2025 following a previous hamstring concern, but speaking to the media in his post-game press conference, Slot could not confirm whether his new issue was on the same leg.

Slot 'assumes' Gomez has not suffered hamstring tear

The Dutchman is confident that Gomez has not suffered a serious tear, but his status for Wednesday's trip to Everton - the final Premier League Merseyside derby at Goodison Park - is now up in the air.

"I am not too sure. I am not too sure if it was the same leg, but I haven't had time to ask him. It was clear, I think we all know which moment he felt a bit insecure about [it] because he didn't sprint back fully," Slot told journalists.

"Then he said, 'I am not 100 per cent sure and I am afraid if I make one extra sprint things will go wrong.' It's not torn I assume, but it didn't feel good for him.

"That was a bit of a blow because Curtis Jones was on the bench, but he came to me this morning and said, 'I don't think I am fully recovered yet' as well after the training session of yesterday.

"That all of a sudden led to the fact we were with a few more youngsters on the pitch than was the idea before the game, but still there was enough quality on the pitch to get a better result than this."

Will Liverpool have Trent Alexander-Arnold back for Merseyside derby?

Gomez re-enters the treatment room at a time where Trent Alexander-Arnold is also taking up one of the beds, as the 26-year-old is working his way back from his own thigh injury sustained in the recent 2-0 win over Bournemouth.

Slot has affirmed that Alexander-Arnold's problem is not one that requires weeks or months of recovery, but he could not guarantee that the Englishman would be back for the midweek trip to Everton.

However, Conor Bradley impressed in Alexander-Arnold's absence against Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup in midweek and will likely come back into the XI at Goodison Park after being rested at the weekend.

Quansah is another alternative option on the right-hand side of defence for Liverpool, who hold a six-point lead at the top of the table ahead of their crunch clash with David Moyes's men on Tuesday.

The final Premier League Merseyside derby was initially scheduled for December before being postponed due to Storm Darragh.

Written by

Ben Knapton