FootyChatter.com

By LEWIS STEELE Published: 09: 54 AEDT, 6 March 2025 | Updated: 11: 07 AEDT, 6 March 2025 4 View comments Arne Slot has been in the news recently for allegedly telling a referee ‘I’ll f***ing blame you’ if Liverpool don’t go on to win the Premier League. In the Champions League, however, the Reds boss may end up thanking the officials if they go on to win a seventh title. Tongue firmly in cheek with that comment, of course, as Liverpool have already demonstrated their class in convincing wins over the champions of Europe, Spain and Germany in the competition and certainly do not need a leg-up from a referee. But a reprieve for Ibrahima Konate when he was the last man back, shoving Bradley Barcola in the back as the PSG man made his way into the box, made one wonder if the stars were aligning for Liverpool in this tie. Konate was lucky to remain on the pitch after bringing down Barcola. The wait while the VAR looked at the incident must have felt like a lifetime for the defender. But eventually the referee waved for Trent Alexander-Arnold to take a throw-in to restart play and there was a general sense of disbelief inside the ground. Pundits on TNT Sports were unanimous in their belief that Konate should have made the walk down the tunnel, which would have made the evening much harder for Liverpool and their eventual great escape less likely.   Ibrahima Konate was lucky to escape a red card for a shove in the back on Bradley Barcola After avoiding the sending off, Konate put in an imperious performance in defence Konate was born just down the road from here and this was a superb display from the Parisian, apart from his close shave with a red card. Real Madrid are keeping tabs on his situation, with his contract up at the end of next season, and it is no surprise. Central defensive partner Virgil van Dijk gets many plaudits, and rightly so, but Konate is often just as strong. He continually got his body in the way of the 27 shots PSG rained down on goal and — along with the brilliant goalkeeper Alisson — was a key reason the Reds defence was not breached.   He was typical of an amazing defensive display. Luis Enrique had Slot’s men in a chokehold but, to their credit, Liverpool refused to tap out or throw in the towel. Reds boss Slot said beforehand that his men had to ‘suffer’ to get a result in the French capital and boy did they do that. Ousmane Dembele, the hottest striker in Europe right now, set the tempo early on when he skipped past Andy Robertson like he was not there. Barcola, on the other flank, did something similar to Alexander-Arnold. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who joined from Napoli in January, showed why he was nicknamed ‘Kvaradona’ in Naples, turning Robertson inside out before curling a stunning strike into the far corner, only to be pulled back for a fair but unlucky offside call. This season has been all about Liverpool’s attacking brilliance — rarely a game seems to go by when Mohamed Salah does not break a record. After a VAR check, Konate escaped punishment from the referee for the shove in the back It's argued that the Frenchman does not get the credit that he deserves for his performances  But this match was all about their mental resilience, patience and defensive steel, typified by Konate. To be champions of Europe, all three attributes are going to be necessary. And so, in Paris Fashion Week, there was no doubting that PSG were the smartest outfit in town. But though Liverpool’s display may not have been the most fashionable, this was grit over style to get the job done. In my taxi to the Parc des Princes the driver, a Marseille fan, was talking about how he felt Konate does not get the credit he deserves in France. He could well be right. But Real are watching.

Share what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mail Online.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual.   Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group