Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli says £35m Liverpool player is his toughest ever opponent along with Kyle Walker

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Liverpool did a decent job of keeping Arsenal’s dangermen quiet last Sunday.

Bukayo Saka did score, obviously, but other than his early goal and another shot that flashed over the bar, the England winger didn’t cause too much trouble.

Another player who has had considerable joy against Liverpool over the years is Gabriel Martinelli.

Jurgen Klopp was a huge fan of Martinelli, regularly praising the Brazilian forward during his battles against Arsenal.

And it’s no wonder really, the Gunners No.11 has five goals in 11 games against the Reds.

Martinelli was not able to add to that tally despite some promising moments on Sunday, though. And according to the man himself, Ibrahima Konate might have had a little something to do with that.

Gabriel Martinelli hails Ibrahima Konate

Konate was terrific against Arsenal. In fact, the French defender has been wonderful all season.

He did not enjoy his last visit to the Emirates Stadium, being sent off late on as Liverpool lost 3-1 in February.

This time was different, however, with Konate possibly Liverpool’s most outstanding player on the day.

The Reds’ £35m centre-back clearly made an impression on the Arsenal players, too.

READ MORE: Arne Slot suggests Ibrahima Konate is really underrated after what he did against Arsenal

Because when Martinelli was asked to name the ‘most difficult defender to play against’ during an interview with Arsenal’s official website, he was quick to mention Konate.

“It has to be Walker and Konate,” said the 23-year-old.

“They’re both tough to beat. I see how he is, how his body is and try to do what I do to beat him.”

Cole Palmer disagrees with Martinelli

This is a great answer from Martinelli, who clearly had his recent battle with Ibou right at the front of his mind.

What is interesting is that when asked about toughest opposition defenders, most players in the Premier League will inevitably mention Virgil van Dijk.

Cole Palmer named Van Dijk as his toughest ever opponent earlier this week, for example.

But the difference here is that Martinelli is a left-sided forward, so he is more often than not operating on the opposite side to the Liverpool captain.

As he has found out, that can be just as difficult. Ibou is not to be trifled with.