The League Cup semi-final first-leg between Arsenal and Liverpool on Thursday has been postponed due to a “severe outbreak” of Covid-19 at the Merseyside club.
Liverpool had requested that the match at the Emirates Stadium to be called off on Tuesday as the outbreak worsened at the club.
The English Football League (EFL) said in a statement it had been in “regular dialogue” with Liverpool “in an attempt to understand whether the tie could proceed".
On Wednesday, Liverpool temporarily closed their training ground due to a rapidly growing number of suspected infections.
Assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders — who took charge of the team during their 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Sunday when manager Jurgen Klopp was absent due to Covid — became the latest member of staff to test positive.
Players Alisson Becker, Roberto Firmino and Joel Matip returned positive tests on Sunday. Virgil van Dijk, Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho and Curtis Jones were also forced into isolation last month following positive tests.
The EFL statement continued: “Significant developments over this period have resulted in the club reporting an ever-increasing number of Covid cases.
“Having now fully reviewed the circumstances involved, the League has accepted Liverpool's request after determining, albeit reluctantly, that a postponement was the only option as the club looks to mitigate against the further risk of infection among its squad and staff alongside ensuring public health was protected by not travelling from Liverpool to London.”
As a result, the order of the ties has been changed with the first of the two legs now taking place at Anfield on January 13, while the rearranged game will be played as the second leg at the Emirates on January 20.
The postponement will also put Liverpool’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Shrewsbury Town on Sunday in doubt.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
WISH
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