Liverpool have been hit by a massive injury setback in the first half of tonight’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.With the Reds trailing 2-0 from the reverse fixture last week, Arne Slot made the bold call of starting both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike at Anfield, with the Swede making his first start since returning from a broken leg.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYHowever, less than half an hour into the game, that all too rarely-seen partnership was forcibly broken up as the Dutchman’s best-laid plans were torn asunder.Liverpool hit by Ekitike injury blowShortly before the 30-minute mark, Ekitike went to ground with nobody in his immediate vicinity, and it instantly became apparent that was in some distress. The Liverpool striker left the pitch on a stretcher, with Mo Salah sprung from the substitutes’ bench to take his place.BBC reporter Adam Patel observed: ‘It doesn’t look good for Hugo Ekitike. Mohamed Salah is changed and coming on.’On commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live, Stephen Warnock said: “There was nobody around Hugo Ekitike and he has damaged his ankle. He is pointing towards his Achilles which is a real concern. He got back up, and he just collapsed to the floor. Marquinhos had hold of his hand, and he is in agony.”Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustFingers crossed it’s not a serious injury for EkitikeA hush descended around Anfield as Liverpool fans realised that the Frenchman was in pain and wouldn’t be able to continue, and it’s a gutting injury setback just a few short days after Isak had made his long-awaited comeback after nearly four months out.With Slot saying before the game that the Swede is unlikely to play for any more than 45 minutes tonight, it looks as though both of our starting centre-forwards will have been withdrawn before the second half, leaving just three substitutions for the remainder of the match.It remains to be seen just how severely Ekitike was injured and how long he’ll be absent, but we can only hope that it isn’t as bad as it looked on first viewing.The 23-year-old would be a huge miss for Liverpool if his season has been ended prematurely, and he could be forgiven for having the World Cup on his mind, with the tournament now just two months away.Fingers crossed that the France international – our top scorer this season with 17 goals – hasn’t been badly injured and that we’ll soon see him back in action.The post ‘He is in agony’ – Liverpool suffer seismic injury blow half an hour into PSG clash appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.