Hargreaves hails ‘flawless’ defender after dominant display against Sunderland | OneFootball

Owen Hargreaves singled out Ibou Konate for special praise after Liverpool’s 1-0 Premier League win at Sunderland, describing the French defender as “flawless” in a commanding display.

Speaking on TNT Sports following our victory at the Stadium of Light, Hargreaves made it clear that while Virgil van Dijk deserved the man of the match award for his winning goal, Konate was arguably more influential defensively.

Steven Gerrard began simply: “He was brilliant.”

Hargreaves expanded on that view: “He was as close to the man match as you could get.

“I know Ally [McCoist] give it to Van Dijk and that’s probably partly because he scored and he played really well as well. But I mean [Konate] was flawless really, wasn’t he.

“Everything he did defensively, it was a great battle with Brian Brobbey but I thought he used the ball well. If they keep clean sheets like this, Liverpool, they’ll finish in the top four / five.”

That is significant recognition.

Konate wins key battle with Brian Brobbey

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Konate, our 26-year-old centre-back, produced one of his most complete performances of the season against Brian Brobbey.

According to Sofascore, Konate recorded a rating of 8.0 across the 90 minutes.

Ibou Konate vs Sunderland

Winning five of six aerial duels against a physical forward like Brobbey was crucial.

He was not dribbled past once and even completed a last-man tackle, underlining his concentration and timing.

Konate also used the ball well, completing 88% of his passes, including 96% in his own half, which allowed us to control transitions and sustain pressure.

Defensive platform key to Liverpool clean sheet

Image via @LFC on X

Van Dijk’s header from Mo Salah’s corner ultimately decided the match, and the captain took the TNT Sports award from Ally McCoist and Joe Cole.

However, Konate arguably did more pure defensive work across the 90 minutes.

It was the first time Sunderland had been beaten at home in the league this season, and Manchester City are the only other side to keep a clean sheet there.

Context matters too.

Konate’s father passed away last month, something he addressed after another brilliant performance against Newcastle.

For the France international to deliver such a composed, dominant display in these circumstances speaks volumes about his professionalism and mental strength.

Van Dijk hailed his ‘outstanding’ defensive partner after the game and if we continue to defend like that, especially with Konate and Van Dijk operating in tandem, the top four is well within reach.

On a wet night in the north east, Konate was immense and as Hargreaves put it, very nearly man of the match.

You can view Slot’s post-Sunderland press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobile