Jamie Carragher blasts Ibrahima Konate after what he saw Liverpool star do v Everton
Jamie Carragher blasted defender Ibrahima Konate for giving away a cheap free-kick as Liverpool were beaten 2-0 in the Merseyside derby against Everton.
The former Reds central defender pulled no punches in his assessment of his former side, labelling their defending “awful”.
Liverpool went 1-0 down in the first half after Jarrad Branthwaite reacted quickest to a loose ball in the box and were only denied a penalty due to a tight offside call. Dominic Calvert-Lewin added a second goal in after the break.
Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports Premier League [8:57pm, 24 April], said: “[Liverpool’s defending has been] awful.
“I mean, how many times are Liverpool going to give free-kicks away? I mean, that is the name of the game for Everton. Everton have been fantastic, certainly from set-pieces – they look like scoring from every single one.
“The amount of times Liverpool have given fouls away in their own half – Konate here, I mean, what is he doing? He doesn’t know where he is, he just sticks a leg out.”
Everton exploited poor Liverpool defending
Liverpool were far from their best at a rocking Goodison Park, with Everton’s fast start seeming to unsettle the Reds.
After Alisson was given a reprieve despite hauling Calvert-Lewin down in the box due to a VAR check that revealed an offside offence against the striker, Liverpool appeared shaken.
They committed 13 fouls across the 90 minutes [FotMob], giving Everton ample opportunity to utilise their favourite attacking tactic – piling the box with aerially dominant players and sending a deep free-kick into the area.
Jurgen Klopp’s men failed to clear their lines from one such dead-ball situation after Branthwaite had failed to connect well with his header. Not content to be let off the hook, Liverpool got themselves into a mess again and gave the young defender a second attempt at scoring, which he did not pass up.
There will also be question marks over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s marking – or lack thereof – as Calvert-Lewin was able to head in relatively unchallenged at the back post.
Twenty-four-year-old Konate, meanwhile, produced a performance so poor that he was hooked shortly after the hour mark in favour of Jarell Quansah – a defender three years his junior – as a result.
Everton will take great pride in how they unsettled their rivals – and then exploited their frailties.
In other Everton news, Richard Buxton has criticised the “vultures” looking to buy the club “on the cheap” amid worries over the club’s long-term future.
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