Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sympathises with Everton regarding Ibrahima Konate let-off
Liverpool were handed a major advantage when Everton ace Ashley Young was sent off but the scales might have been balanced had Ibrahima Konate received his marching orders in the second half.
The Frenchman is among the Reds’ top defenders but was on thin ice after receiving an early yellow card in the second half. Given the combative nature of the Merseyside Derby, he certainly needed to be on his toes.
A moment of weakness arrived in the second half when Konate hauled down Beto as the Toffees looked to hit us on the counter. It was a heart-in-the-mouth moment for the Reds’ star and thankfully referee Craig Pawson kept his cards in his pocket. Everton were incensed and given that the game was still 0-0 at that point, it could have been a sliding doors moment in the context of the result.
They have now received support from an unlikely ally- Jurgen Klopp. Speaking to the club’s official website after the game, the Liverpool boss confirmed that he understands Sean Dyche’s anger and that Konate certainly was at risk of being sent off. Given the poor luck we have had in that regard this season, we can understand why Klopp has his heart in his mouth.
“To be 100 per cent honest, I didn’t see it back yet. I was not sure I saw it 100 per cent, I think I was somewhere else in that moment. But then when he is going down, Ibou I knew had a yellow card so I knew that could be now tricky. Then he didn’t get the second yellow and then I thought, OK, we don’t give it a chance and take him off. I understand, how you can imagine, the frustration of Everton and Sean [Dyche] in this moment, absolutely. Was it 0-0 still or was it 1-0? 0-0. 10 v 10. I thought we were the better side. Would we have won? I don’t know, we will never find out.”
We have become so accustomed to receiving red cards this season that it is surprising when it happens to the opposition team. Playing with ten men did certainly help us but there is little guarantee to claim that Everton had a chance if Konate was wet off. After all, we were the dominant side from the kickoff.
Klopp might not have been sure of the incident in real time but the potential implications were not also on him. He immediately swapped Konate off for Joel Matip, reducing any chance Everton had of targeting the Frenchman. The Liverpool boss’s substitutions have been on point this season and he once again knocked it out of the park with the decision to take off Konate.
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While we can debate if Konate’s foul was worthy of a second sending-off, Liverpool have had players sent off for less this season. The decision was always going to be 50-50 and it is remarkable that Klopp chose to admit that it could have gotten messy. But one also has to acknowledge Klopp coming clean on the matter rather than pretend to be blind like most managers when things go their way. The Liverpool boss at the very least is not a hypocrite.
