'Just awesome' - TalkSPORT man stunned on-air by Liverpool 'machine' who won 89% of his duels

Former Premier League midfielder Jamie O’Hara has heaped praise on Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate following the 2-0 victory over Villarreal. 

The Reds took a giant stride towards their 10th European Cup final and a showdown in Paris with a relatively straightforward win over a resilient Villarreal outfit at Anfield.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was integral in the opener as the midfielder’s cross was deflected beyond former Manchester City goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli before Sadio Mane doubled the lead moments later.

However, it wasn’t a member of the attacking fraternity that caught the eye of one particular onlooker…

Speaking live-on-air, TalkSPORT show host O’Hara lauded central defender Konate for his display in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

“We talked about maybe if they got in behind Trent? But Konate tonight was just awesome, he was a machine. There is no weakness.”

Indeed, the 22-year-old won 5/5 (100%) of his aerial duels and 8/9 (89%) duels in total, also making two clearances in a 7.40/10 rated display (Sofascore).

As things stand the French Under 21 international is yet to taste defeat as a Liverpool player when featuring, playing in 23 unbeaten matches since signing from RB Leipzig for £36million last summer (Sky Sports).

With performances such as this, albeit the Reds were relatively untested in a defensive sense, it’s easy to see why Jurgen Klopp held refrained from spending big on a centre-back in January 2021 despite the desperate need for reinforcements.

Konate has been nothing short of a revelation on Merseyside and looks almost certain to play a huge part in what is an exciting run-in on the quest for a never before seen quadruple and beyond.

In other news, a key Liverpool update has