Rafa Benitez is fearing the worst over Mohamed Sissoko's shoulder injury.
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is fearing the worst after seeing Mohamed Sissoko carried off in the Carling Cup win over Birmingham.
The midfielder suffered what looked like a dislocated shoulder midway through the opening half of the tie at St Andrews.
Sissoko fell awkwardly after a challenge with Birmingham's Mehdi Nafti and needed lengthy attention on the field before he departed on a stretcher.
"We feel it is serious," Benitez told Sky Sports. "We cross our fingers now and wait.
"Really we need all the players in our squad, especially 'Momo' because he gives us a lot of energy.
"I hope it is not very serious but I don't think so."
Losing Sissoko is a major blow for Benitez, particularly on a night when he saw his side march into the last eight of the cup competition.
Daniel Agger's goal in first-half stoppage time proved to be the winner, although The Reds could have made life much easier for themselves had they not wasted a host of glorious chances.
Craig Bellamy saw a penalty saved by Maik Taylor on his return from injury, meaning a young Liverpool back four had to weather a late storm to gain the victory.
"It was a difficult game, we had some clear chances, they have had one or two but they gave us a good cup game," Benitez commented.
"I felt the players worked really hard. I changed some players, there were some young boys there but we were good against a difficult team."
