87% duels won: Virgil van Dijk rightly lauded ‘outstanding’ teammate after Liverpool victory | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk hailed an ‘outstanding’ performance from centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate in Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Sunderland on Wednesday night.

In torrid weather conditions at the Stadium of Light, the Reds secured a much-needed and fully deserved three points, ending the final unbeaten home record in the Premier League this season thanks to the captain’s 61st-minute goal.

Whilst the away side dominated in terms of shots (23-11) and xG (1.95 to 0.66), they had to dig in to see out the win in the closing stages of the match, and LFC’s much-criticised defence put in a resolute display to get the job done.

Van Dijk praises ‘outstanding’ Konate

Speaking to TNT Sports after the final whistle, Van Dijk namechecked Konate and Alexis Mac Allister in praising the work rate of his Liverpool teammates in coming away from Wearside with a hard-fought victory.

The Reds captain said: “Ibou was outstanding, Macca in front. Everyone was putting a shift in. I’m proud of the guys as they worked so hard.”

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Konate was particularly excellent tonight

Both Konate and Mac Allister have seen a few of their performances come in for questioning this season, but both can feel more than satisfied with their respective efforts against Sunderland tonight.

In just his third game back since the death of his father last month, the French centre-back was excellent against the Black Cats, with the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle proclaiming a ‘fine defensive display’ in his post-match player ratings.

The 26-year-old won eight of his nine duels at the Stadium of Light (87.5%), completed 42 of his 48 passes (88%), made four clearances, two interceptions and two tackles and recorded one key pass (Sofascore).

Konate made one particularly important block from Brian Brobbey in the first half when the Dutch forward would otherwise have had a free shot at goal, and for a man who’s endured some strong criticism this season, he was dominant at the heart of our defence tonight.

Van Dijk is one of the ultimate authorities on recognising a top-class defensive performance, and the praise for his centre-back partner was fully merited. That’s the standard we want to see from the duo for the remainder of the campaign.