Liverpool suffered a huge blow ahead of their visit to Manchester United after Mohamed Salah was ruled out of the Premier League tussle with an ankle injury.
Salah was expected to have recovered from the knock sustained against Leicester just before the international break.
The Egypt international had been working to a tailored rehabilitation and training plan over the last couple of weeks in an attempt to recover in time.
However he didn't travel with the first-team squad to Old Trafford and Jurgen Klopp's line-up confirmed his absence for the crunch encounter, with Divock Origi leading the attack for title-chasing Liverpool.
Klopp revealed that he held little hope that Salah would make his line-up in Manchester - but admitted the star could return for the Champions League trip to Genk on Wednesday.
“Mo was not ready, that’s how it is,” the manager told Sky Sports.
“He couldn’t train with the team; I don’t know where it came from that everybody said he will play. There was pretty much no chance for today, maybe for Wednesday, we have to see.”
It was no doubt a huge blow for the Reds, who are looking to regain their eight-point lead at the top of the table after Manchester City secured a comfortable win over Crystal Palace on Saturday night.
Klopp, however, was boosted by the first-team return of goalkeeper Alisson, who has been back in full training after a calf problem suffered in the first match of the season.
Joel Matip, who recently penned a new long-term deal at Anfield, is fit again after a knock ruled him out of the last two games.
Klopp's side head to Old Trafford looking to equal Manchester City's sequence of successive Premier League victories and, with a 15-point advantage and their hosts struggling for form, are strong favourites to do so.
