Arne Slot explains Jarell Quansah decision after Ibrahima Konate injury blow for Liverpool

Arne Slot said that he chose to replace Ibrahima Konate with Joe Gomez because Jarell Quansah was feeling the effects of Wednesday's Carabao Cup game at the AMEX Stadium.

Konate left the field with his arm in a makeshift sling at half-time of Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton after landing awkwardly in the closing stages of the first half. It was evident that the Frenchman wouldn't be able to continue, and Gomez replaced him for the second half.

With Gomez on the field, Liverpool bounced back from the goal it conceded in the first half, winning 2-1 to return to the top of the Premier League table after Manchester City was beaten 2-1 by Bournemouth.

• Three talking points from Liverpool vs Brighton including Arne Slot's genius move

• Liverpool winners and losers PLUS player ratings from comeback win vs Brighton

Slot praised Gomez's performance and explained his decision to bring the 27-year-old over Quansah: "He [Konate] had a lot of pain during half-time so then you have to make the change. The good thing is we have two very good replacements in Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah. I chose Joe today because Jarell was really tired and he proved I was right because he was outstanding in the second half.

"He had a very good performance without the ball. He constantly stepped into midfield to win the ball, winning the duels, and when he had to defend he did very well. Very good second half."

Liverpool was considering selling Gomez during the summer transfer window, but he could now be set for a run in the team depending on the seriousness of Konate's injury.

As for Quansah, he is experiencing a difficult season on a personal level, having appeared in just two matches since the opening weekend of the Premier League season, when he was hooked at half-time of Liverpool's game against Ipswich Town.

On that occasion, it was initially suspected that Quansah might have picked up a first-half injury, but Slot confirmed that the decision was influenced by Quansah's performance.

The defender's only minutes since that game have come in the EFL Cup, with the 21-year-old an unused substitute in each of Liverpool's last nine Premier League games as well as all three of the club's Champions League matches.

Quansah had a hand in both of Brighton's goals during Liverpool's 3-2 win on the South Coast on Wednesday, but Slot defended the youngster in the aftermath of the game, praising his overall performance and describing his contributions to Brighton's goals as 'unlucky'.