Liverpool fans have voiced frustration with a particular player after their team’s lackluster performance in a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The reigning 2024/25 Premier League champions headed to south London full of confidence, having maintained a perfect record so far this season.
However, they were without forward Hugo Ekitike, who was suspended after receiving a red card in Tuesday’s League Cup third-round victory over Southampton. His absence meant head coach Arne Slot was forced to start club-record signing Alexander Isak at Selhurst Park, but the Swedish striker failed to make an impact.
Isak’s attacking partners — Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, and Dominik Szoboszlai — also struggled to create chances against Oliver Glasner’s side. Palace took control early on through Ismaila Sarr, who scored in the ninth minute. The goal was Sarr’s fifth in just eight career appearances against Liverpool, adding to two previous assists he had registered against the Reds.
Federico Chiesa appeared to salvage a point for Liverpool with an 87th-minute equalizer, but in stoppage time, Eddie Nketiah struck to give Palace a dramatic and well-deserved victory.
While much of the criticism could have been aimed at Liverpool’s misfiring attack, fans instead focused on defender Ibrahima Konate for his underwhelming display — despite him being substituted before Palace’s late winner.
Konate, 26, played 74 minutes before being replaced by Jeremie Frimpong as Liverpool pushed for a goal. Supporters were quick to share their frustration on social media.
One fan wrote: “Konate is the worst player with the ball in this team. I don’t care what anyone says — he has to go.”
Another added: “Konate either plays a flawless run of games or completely forgets how to play football and becomes mistake-prone. There’s no middle ground, and it’s frustrating.”
A third commented: “Rhys Williams, lace up your boots. Konate is too busy flirting with Real Madrid and running around like he’s wearing Timberlands. Another poor performance.”
A fourth fan remarked: “Mateta absolutely dominated Konate — in the air, out wide, and in hold-up play. He gave Palace a solid platform all game.”
And a fifth simply stated: “We didn’t deserve anything from this match. Konate and Bradley were easily the worst players on the pitch.”
Konate has been linked with a potential move to Real Madrid, with his Liverpool contract set to expire in June 2026.
Liverpool now turn their focus to the Champions League, where they will face Turkish champions Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace will travel to Poland to face Dynamo Kyiv in their Conference League opener on Thursday.
Leave a Reply