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GARY NEVILLE SLAMS KONATE; CLAIMS LEEDS STRIKER CALVERT-LEWIN IS PHYSICALLY OUTCLASSING HIM
Will Gary Neville be proven right? Konate faces a physical battle at Anfield to save his Liverpool career and title ambitions.
Ibrahima Konate is probably hoping for better luck against Dominic Calvert-Lewin this week.
The Liverpool defender probably remembers his last game against the striker. Konate gave away a penalty against Leeds earlier this month. Calvert-Lewin scored, making it 2-1 after Hugo Ekitike's goal had put Liverpool up 2-0.
After that, the Reds fell apart. Leeds tied the game, and even though Dominik Szoboszlai put Liverpool ahead again, Leeds scored late to grab a point. And, of course, we all know what happened after the game with Mohamed Salah.
Konate will have another chance when Leeds comes to Anfield on New Year’s Day. But it's not just that game that's on the Frenchman’s mind.
Konate also had a bad time against Calvert-Lewin back when the England player was still at Everton. Liverpool's title hopes were disappearing during Jurgen Klopp’s last days as manager in 2024. The final blow came when the Reds lost 2-0 at Goodison Park.
Calvert-Lewin really gave Konate a hard time. A few minutes after he scored Everton’s second goal from a corner, Konate was taken out and replaced by Jarell Quansah.
Gary Neville, commenting on the game for Sky Sports, said, When Calvert-Lewin is playing well, he can cause problems for centre-backs.
Konate is a big guy, but Calvert-Lewin has gotten to him. Centre-backs don't like losing aerial battles, and Everton are good at them. He's got great energy, that Calvert-Lewin.
Konate was chosen to be Virgil van Dijk's partner, but it hasn't worked out. They can't handle Calvert-Lewin. He's outplaying Liverpool's centre-backs. He's on fire.
Neville continued to criticise after the game.
In his podcast, Neville said Liverpool seemed to be outmuscled in this game. I wouldn’t say outfought because Liverpool teams work hard, but Everton was stronger in the key moments in both boxes.
“Liverpool lost the game because they lost those battles in both boxes. They physically lost the important battles.
“That was unexpected. I was surprised that Konate, whom I thought was the right pick to play next to Van Dijk, was getting pushed around.
“I expected them to be strong and dominate in those areas.”
Konate hasn’t had a great season, and his performances haven't helped the negative opinions among fans as his contract nears its end.
Liverpool has the worst record in Europe’s top leagues when it comes to defending set pieces. It’s time for Konate to change things around, and playing well against Calvert-Lewin this week would be a good start.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.
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