"Kept Arsenal’s attack in his back pocket," "Colossal performance" - Liverpool fans laud star for his 'masterclass' in 1-1 draw

Liverpool fans on X (formerly Twitter) hailed Ibrahima Konate after he produced a brilliant performance during their 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday, December 23.

The Gunners started the game well and took an early lead in the fourth minute when Gabriel Magalhaes headed home from a Martin Odegaard free-kick. Arsenal were fortunate not to concede a penalty after Odegaard handled the ball inside the box 16 minutes later.

Trent Alexander-Arnold produced a sublime across-the-field cross for Mohamed Salah in the 29th minute. The Egyptian King cut inside before unleashing an excellent finish past David Raya to level the scores.

Liverpool went close to grabbing a winner in the second half. Harvey Elliott's effort deflected off Gabriel onto the post in the 71st minute. The Reds then launched a devastating counter-attack from a corner two minutes later. Salah played the ball into the path of Alexander-Arnold. However, the England international's strike crashed against the crossbar.

Both sides defended well afterwards, sealing a 1-1 draw. Arsenal remain at the top of the Premier League standings with 40 points from 18 games, one point above Jurgen Klopp and Co.

Liverpool fans waxed lyrical about Konate. Despite being guilty of not marking Gabriel for the Gunners' goal, the Frenchman had a monster performance defensively. He managed to shut down Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus completely.

The 24-year-old won three out of his five tackles, made two blocks, and made nine recoveries. He also won seven duels, including both his aerial ones, and completed 37 out of his 44 passes with an accuracy of 84 percent.

One fan posted:

"Konate appreciation tweet. Kept Arsenal’s attack in his back pocket. MOTM."

Another fan wrote:

"Ibrahima Konate appreciation tweet. Colossal performance. Kept the right hand side on lock."

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Liverpool vs Arsenal: How did both teams fare during their Premier League clash at Anfield?

Liverpool and Arsenal played out an entertaining, high-octane 1-1 draw at Anfield on Saturday. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.

Jurgen Klopp and Co. edged the Gunners in possession with 51 percent of the ball. They also attempted a total of 438 passes, with an accuracy of 81 percent. In contrast, the away side had 49 percent possession and attempted 418 passes with an accuracy of 80 percent.

Both teams had their opportunities to seal all three points and looked equally threatening up front. Liverpool registered a total of 13 shots, with three being on target. They also hit the woodwork twice and were arguably unlucky not to win. On the other hand, the Gunners had 13 shots in total, landing two on target.