“Visibly emotional” Liverpool defender has injury taunted but gets own back on fans

March 30, 2025
Sam Millne

Liverpool left-back Owen Beck limped off injured just 13 minutes into his return for Blackburn, and his subsequent exchange with Portsmouth fans wasn’t friendly.

It has been an eventful season for Beck at loan club Blackburn.

The promising 22-year-old started all but eight league games before February – three of which he was suspended for – and was considered among the Lancashire club’s best performers.

During that time, he was called up for Wales as well as being bitten by Preston’s Milutin Osmajic and sent off in the same game.

Beck, though, has missed Blackburn’s last seven Championship matches due to a hamstring injury sustained in early February, despite Liverpool advising him to be played just once a week, according to Rovers Xtra.

On Saturday, he returned to the starting XI but lasted just 13 minutes before having to withdraw again with a recurring hamstring injury.

As Beck was helped off the Fratton Park pitch, he received little sympathy from Portsmouth supporters who were “mistakenly accusing him of fakery and deception,” reported the Portsmouth Evening News.

To the crowd’s annoyance, the loanee then responded by twice gesturing that Portsmouth are going down.

After the match, Blackburn manager Valerien Ismael told club media: “Owen has a hamstring injury. We need to assess how it is. It’s the same type of injury. We will see.

“I don’t want to say any prognosis now, we’ll have to wait. On Monday, we’ll have a scan and will have more clarity.”

While Pompey were in a precarious position at the beginning of the day, they will end this weekend seven points clear of the Championship relegation zone thanks to their 1-0 win over Blackburn.

Kaide Gordon is on loan at Portsmouth but wasn’t used on Saturday and has played just 119 minutes since joining at the end of the January transfer window.

At the start of the season, Blackburn looked to be pushing for the play-offs.

They are still in with a chance of managing their target, but five defeats in their last six games have left them five points off the play-off positions.

Former coach John Eustace left to join Derby in February and new manager Ismael is yet to win a game.

At one point, Blackburn would have hoped to perhaps keep Beck beyond this season. It seems unlikely that Liverpool would now sanction such a move, due to the management of their loanee’s fitness and the club’s current state.

Lewis Koumas and Rhys Williams also in action

Liverpool’s only other loanees to play on Saturday were Lewis Koumas and Rhys Williams.

The latter played 90 minutes at centre-back in a 1-0 home win for Morecambe against Swindon. It was a welcome victory for Williams‘ side, but they still lie seven points from safety in the fourth division.

Having played 39 of 46 matches, Carlisle have 31 points, Morecambe have 33 points and Tranmere have 40 points.

Meanwhile, Koumas was involved in a 3-1 win for Stoke, against QPR in the Championship. With his team 3-0 up, the Liverpool attacker came on for the last 20 minutes.

Elsewhere, Stefan Bajcetic should start for Las Palmas against Celta Vigo on Monday night and Giorgi Marmadashvili’s Valencia face Mallorca at 5.30pm (BST) on Sunday.

In Scotland, Luca Stephenson‘s Dundee United have an away trip to Ross County that kicks off at 2.30pm on Sunday.