Sometimes football writes its own cruel poetry, and Giorgi Mamardashvili's injury against Everton reads like a verse from Liverpool's book of woe.

The Georgian shot-stopper lasted barely into the second half of his first Merseyside derby before getting hurt trying to deny Beto's equaliser. That he couldn't prevent the goal and picked up an injury in the process feels like a perfect metaphor for where Liverpool find themselves right now.

Mamardashvili had stepped up admirably in Alisson's absence, starting the last six matches and generally looking solid between the sticks. But football being the beautifully savage game it is, his reward for commitment was a trip to the treatment room alongside his Brazilian colleague.

The sight of Liverpool's backup keeper hobbling off will have sent a shiver down Arne Slot's spine. With Alisson already sidelined, the manager suddenly finds himself dangerously thin in the goalkeeping department. It's the kind of problem that turns stomach knots into full-blown panic.

What makes this particularly galling is how it happened. Mamardashvili threw himself at Beto's feet in a desperate attempt to keep the scores level, showing exactly the kind of commitment Liverpool fans want to see. That such effort resulted in both conceding and getting injured feels like someone upstairs is having a proper laugh at our expense.

The timing couldn't be worse either, with fixtures piling up and every point becoming precious in what's shaping up to be a season of fine margins.

Credit to Empire of the Kop for the original reporting.