Arsenal lost Bukayo Saka to injury against Crystal Palace
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate refused to mock Bukayo Saka's injury, despite fans on social media suggesting the Arsenal star's blow is "karma" for a Gunners fan who wished harm on Konate earlier in the season.
Konate was injured back in November, towards the end of a Champions League victory over Real Madrid. The French international hasn't featured since, missing a victory over Manchester City among other games, and Liverpool have conceded eight times in four games without him.
When Konate picked up his injury, an Arsenal fan wrote on social media: "Rivalry aside I hope Konate’s injury is serious". That same supporter voiced his frustration when Gunners star Saka was forced off injured against Crystal Palace on Sunday, prompting a Liverpool supporter to claim "Karma is a b***h.
Konate took the high road, though, replying: "We are not like them…, we wish no harm, anyway In Sha Allah big 3 pts today." His comments came ahead of Liverpool's league game at Tottenham, and sure enough they did take all three points after a frantic 6-3 win.
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Konate drew praise for his response. "Bless your parents for raising you like this my bro," wrote one fan, while another called him "Class as always".
Joe Gomez partnered Virgil van Dijk at the back against Spurs, who were restricted to fewer chances than the scoreline might suggest. Ange Postecoglou's side only managed five shots on target, but impressive finishes from James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke added some respectability to the scoreline.
The victory saw Liverpool extend their lead at the top to four points, after Chelsea drew at Everton earlier in the day. Arne Slot's team also have a game in hand, thanks to the postponement of their own meeting with Everton in early December.
How badly have Liverpool missed Ibrahima Konate? Have your say in the comments section
Ibrahima Konate hasn't featured for Liverpool since November
"Of course, [being top at Christmas] means something because you always prefer to be where we are at the moment than to be in another position in the league table," Slot said after the win. "You know, just as well as I know because I've won the league once, how hard it is to win it.
"You have to keep on going, keep on going. Every three days you have to be on top of your game, every minute of the game. That's why it is so hard to win it because it's not always easy to show up every three or four days."
Liverpool are at home to struggling Leicester City on Boxing Day, followed by a trip to West Ham on December 29. Slot has been reluctant to give a firm return date for Konate, but confirmed earlier in the month that neither he nor right-back Conor Bradley had returned to training.
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