Liverpool FC news recap: Gerrard RETURN, injury BOOST and legend REPLACED

Here's your daily Liverpool news recap from Sunday 3 November as Ibrahima Konate provides a crucial injury update.

Liverpool star replaces club legend

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Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League table on Saturday after a sensational comeback against Brighton at Anfield.

Two quickfire goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah saw Liverpool take all three points on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester City’s defeat at Bournemouth means that the Reds now sit two points clear at the top of the league table.

Arne Slot was once again able to inspire a much improved second half performance from his side, a feat he has managed multiple times this season.

The introduction of Curtis Jones marked a turning point in the match, but it was another Liverpool star that really stole the show in the Reds’ comeback.

Konate provides crucial update

Liverpool fans were fearing the worst when Ibrahima Konate was withdrawn against Brighton.

The French centre-back exited the pitch at the end of the first-half at Anfield in a lot of pain using his shirt as a makeshift sling. He was subsequently replaced by Joe Gomez who helped Liverpool win the game 2-1.

The Reds were concerned that Konate had fractured his wrist and would be sidelined for a number of weeks.

With games against Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Man City coming up it would be a huge loss for Arne Slot.

However Konate has given fans a huge sigh of relief.

Henderson victim of 'scandalous' treatment

Jordan Henderson has endured a tough time since leaving Liverpool.

After 12 years and 492 games on Merseyside, the former captain headed for the wealth and sun of Saudi Arabia. He signed for Dammam-based Al-Ettifaq in the summer of 2023, joining up with Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard who remains manager for the club.

Henderson, however, played exactly 19 games for Al-Ettifaq before having his contract terminated after just six months and instead opted to sign for the Dutch giants.

His first-full season has been plagued with injury at times and he has been heavily criticised in the Dutch media, often told to "get lost" when it comes to free-kicks.

However one of Henderson's Ajax teammates has had enough of the talk surrounding his captain.

Reds secret weapon

Liverpool went top of the Premier League again yesterday, digging out a 2-1 win against Brighton after being 1-0 down and despite a relatively lacklustre first half performance.

This was joined by the fellow pre-season title contenders Manchester City losing 2-1 to Bournemouth and Arsenal losing 1-0 to Newcastle.

Liverpool now sit two points ahead of City and a seismic seven ahead of Arsenal. Whilst no side has been perfect, City and Arsenal’s performances have had a noticeable drop in quality from previous seasons.

City had to rely on last minute goals to beat Wolves and draw to Arsenal themselves, as well as only beating newly-promoted Southampton 1-0 and a 1-1 draw with Newcastle all within their previous five league games.

Arsenal, meanwhile, haven’t won a league game in a month.

Gerrard could make emotional Liverpool return

Steven Gerrard's decision to move to Saudi Arabia to manage Al-Ettifaq was certainly unexpected to say the least.

The move certainly came with a number of challenges. While the former Liverpool captain embarked on this venture with optimism, the journey has been far from straightforward.

His side has struggled so far this campaign with Gerrard coming under fire for Al-Ettifaq's performances.

For fans and pundits alike, his time in Saudi Arabia has raised questions about his future and whether a return to Liverpool might be on the cards.

Fantastic Reds defender makes impressive progress

Liverpool’s youth movement is only going from strength to strength this season.

The League Cup game against Brighton saw Tyler Morton make his first start this season, playing 64 minutes and registering the team’s third-best rating on FotMob with 7.6.

Trey Nyoni also finally made his first-team debut, replacing Wataru Endu for the last 25 minutes as Liverpool saw out a 3-2 victory to reach the fifth round.

And the youth teams have been putting up promising showings too, with Rio Ngumoha and Amara Nallo making names for themselves in this young season.

One of the most noteworthy stories of late was the return of Isaac Mabaya to the under-21 squad. The 20-year old made a comeback from injury last weekend, seeing out the last 25 minutes of a 2-0 loss to rivals Everton.