Ibrahima Konate admits he could never have scored potential winner v Arsenal

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Ibrahima Konate has admitted that he could never have scored his last-second chance against Arsenal last weekend due to his size and the nature of the opportunity.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the French international revealed that someone who was smaller than him would have been in a better position to get a foot or a head on a ball that could have beaten Aaron Ramsdale, who denied Konate a near-certain winner after getting on the end of a late cross.

Liverpool came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in a frantic game at Anfield, yet with Konate and Mohamed Salah missing golden opportunities to win the game, the Reds are still feeling that they missed out on a chance to claim a huge three points against the Premier League leaders.

And for Konate, the defender admits that he might never have scored the potential winner due to his size, with the 6’4″ centre-back one of the tallest players in the current Liverpool squad and the opposite of an ideal name to get on the end of an awkward low inside the penalty area.

Konate said on his missed chance against Arsenal: “I was proud of my performance in the second half personally. True, it was a golden opportunity but maybe with my size it would have been better if it had fallen to someone who is a little bit smaller who could decide whether to shoot or head it.”

Konate was the worst Liverpool player on the pitch to take on Arsenal chance

Few could fault Konate’s performance against Arsenal, with the centre-back putting on a solid performance against the best side in England this season and doing well to keep their goal tally down to just two, and the defender is also right in thinking that it would have been better had another player taken his chance at the death.

Whilst Konate’s frame makes him perfect for defending and taking on rival attackers, it’s hardly ideal for manoeuvring in the opponent’s box to get on the end of a tricky cross, something that a Diogo Jota or even a Joe Gomez could have done better with if given the chance.