Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Ibrahima Konate was lucky not to be sent off for Liverpool today.
Already on a booking, Konate appeared to take down an Everton player close to the half-way line. It was a slightly cynical foul, and could easily have been a second yellow card.
But thankfully for Liverpool, referee Craig Pawson didn’t see it that way, Konate stayed on the pitch. He wasn’t on it for long, Klopp saw the danger and immediately replaced Ibou with Joel Matip, who came on and did well.
Asked about the incident by BBC Sport after the game, the Reds manager admitted his French defender could have seen red.
“Ibrahima, could have gone, yes,” Jurgen said.
“It could have happened obviously and then we took him off and from that moment we were solid and compact.”
Given the amount of times Liverpool have been dealt a bad hand by officials this season, this was a reminder of what it’s like to be on the other end of one.
Klopp gives Konate verdict
The Konate incident could quite easily have been a red card. In similar fashion to Diogo Jota’s sending off against Tottenham last month, it would have been for two cynical bits of play.
But at the same time, we feel a little too much was made of it, both by the TNT Sports commentators and – predictably – by Sean Dyche.
“How they at 0-0 have eleven on the pitch is, I don’t think anyone in the stadium knows why,” Dyche told TNT Sports after the game.
“Their manager certainly didn’t because he took the player off straight away, because he realised. He thought he should have been off the pitch anyway, it changed the game quite obviously.”
To say the incident ‘changed the game’ is typical hyperbole from Dyche.
Even had it been 10 against 10 at 0-0, Liverpool would have been heavy favourites to win.
So, yes, Konate could perhaps have been sent off, but he wasn’t. That wasn’t the reason Everton lost today, but it gives Dyche and co a handy excuse, at least.
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