Most Liverpool supporters did not expect to get through in the last round of the FA Cup. A trip to the Emirates without Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and many others just seemed like a gargantuan task.
However, out of nowhere, the Reds were able to conjure a special performance and surprised Arsenal with two quick goals right at the end of the game to knock Mikel Arteta’s side out of the competition.
There were so many impressive individual performances in that game on the night. From Liverpool’s senior players stepping up to some youngsters as well. And now one of them has even earned recognition from the competition itself.
Ibrahima Konate receives recognition
Ibrahima Konate put in a colossal performance against Arsenal. He was at the heart of everything positive at the back for Liverpool and snuffed out any danger that came his way.
It was such a brilliant performance that he earned many plaudits including praise from Jurgen Klopp.
Now the FA have also named him as the best defender in the competition after the last round on their official Twitter channel.
As you can see, after the last round, the FA put together an ‘ultimate’ player, and the defending was attributed to Konate.
There is really no surprises there. The 24-year-old Liverpool defender is one of the best up and coming young centre-backs in world football. When fit, there are few players who can challenge him at his level.
And he proved that emphatically against Arsenal, stepping up in Virgil van Dijk’s absence to command the defence.
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