Wataru Endo leaves Wembley on crutches and in protective boot after Carabao Cup final

Wataru Endo left Liverpool's Carabao Cup final win at Wembley on crutches and in a protective boot. 

Endo, 31, delivered an incredible performance throughout 120 energy-sapping minutes against Chelsea in the showpiece event. 

Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal late in the second half of extra time to give a depleted Reds the win - a repeat of 2022’s League Cup triumph against the same opposition. 

But the party was sullied somewhat by the sight of the Japan international leaving the stadium on crutches and with a protective boot around his left foot. 

That type of boot can be used for fast healing and bruising and it is so far undisclosed whether or not Endo has suffered a more significant injury blow. 

Jurgen Klopp lost yet another midfielder during the game with Ryan Gravenberch departing proceedings on a stretcher, after being caught by a horror tackle from Chelsea’s Moises Caicdeo. 

He, too, was spotted on crutches at the end of the game and no time frame is yet available for the 21-year-old’s recovery. 

Fellow midfielder Curtis Jones, meanwhile, was spotted walking into Wembley on crutches and in a protective boot as he seeks to recover from a high ankle sprain while Trent Alexander-Arnold was also pictured bandaged up with a leg brace. 

Liverpool are reeling from an unprecedented injury crisis with stars like Alisson Becker, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Dominik Szoboszlai, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah also absent through injury. 

The scale of the crisis meant academy graduates like Conor Bradley, James McConnell, Bobby Clark and Jayden Danns saw action at Wembley on Sunday, earning praise from Klopp. 

The Reds are back in action on Wednesday night when they play Southampton in the FA Cup. 

It is not expected that they will have a fully-fit squad to pick from until after the next international break with a crucial Premier League title showdown on the horizon against Manchester City on March 10.