Lewis Hall of Newcastle United battles for possession with Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Anfield on January 31, 2026 in Liverpool, England.placeholder image
Lewis Hall of Newcastle United battles for possession with Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Anfield on January 31, 2026 in Liverpool, England. | Getty Images
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate produced a remarkable performance as the Reds beat Newcastle United on Saturday night
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate produced what was quite easily his best performance of the season as the Reds battered Newcastle United with a 4-1 win at Anfield on Saturday night.
The Frenchman was returning to the Liverpool starting line-up after missing recent games following the death of his father.
He capped off a fine defensive performance with the final goal of the game as he bundled the ball in at the Kop end after Nick Pope had dropped the ball, allowing the Frenchman to force the ball in.
There was almost a feeling the ball had been sucked in by the supporters behind the goal, with Anfield showing their support for Konate all evening. Every defensive contribution from the defender was met with cheers of ‘Ibouuu’ with Konate making 10 clearances, five headed clearances, four recoveries and two tackles.
He was dribbled past just once as he also made one interception.
Liverpool World handed him a 10/10 rating for his performance, with Will Rooney writing: “Had a good battle with [Anthony] Gordon throughout the first half. Absolutely imperious in the second half as he won everything that came his way. When he scored at the end, it was so richly deserved especially given what he has been through of late.”
There was an outpouring of emotion from Konate after his goal. The Frenchman was visibly in tears as all of his teammates gathered around him to show their appreciation for his overall performance. Even Alisson Becker ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with him.
Konate had been given time off following the death of his father and had initially planned to return to Merseyside at the end of this week, initially ruling him out of the game against Newcastle.
However, after the game, manager Arne Slot revealed: “He had a very difficult two weeks and probably still has a difficult time but we spoke at the end of last week when he said, ‘I’m planning to be back in the end of this week.’
“So that would have meant that he did not, could not, have played this game. But when he saw all the problems we had defensively he called me early this week to say, ‘I want to be back to help the team against Newcastle,’ and he came back Wednesday, trained twice with us and today not only he scored a goal, but I think he played a great game and the fans were really appreciative throughout the whole game.
“But then definitely at the end when he scored and his teammates were just as appreciative when he came in the dressing room after the final whistle.”
Konate also spoke after the game, as he said: "For sure I'm very happy. I saw the team, we had some injured players. The manager said to me I can take my time, I don't have to rush back. But with this situation I think it was important for me to come back and help the team.
"I think this is what I did today with the team, with Anfield. The atmosphere was unbelievable today. This is what we need until the end of the season."
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