Mohamed Salah dominated the headlines as Liverpool dropped points against Leeds United, allowing Ibrahima Konaté—who endured another difficult performance—to escape the harshest scrutiny.
When Hugo Ekitike opened the scoring for Liverpool, sending the away supporters into celebration, it seemed like exactly the boost Arne Slot needed. Suddenly, his side wasn’t just leading by one goal, but by two.
Ekitike seized control of the match, making the most of both his opportunity in the lineup and his chance in front of goal. At that stage, the second half seemed set to pass quietly. But Salah had different plans, and one of his teammates ensured the spotlight shifted long before full time.
Konaté, who initially looked steady though slightly nervous, ultimately committed another costly mistake—one that had felt increasingly inevitable as the match progressed.
“Unfortunately for him, he does many things well, but he’s been involved far too often in the goals we’ve conceded,” Slot said afterward. “For a center-back, that’s part of football. Today it came from an effort to block a cross; the ball spilled loose and then there was contact. Whether VAR should intervene is up for debate, but many would say it was correct.”
With Conor Bradley available again—though suspended for next weekend’s match against Brighton—Slot has a genuine option to replace Konaté. And with Joe Gomez no longer needed at full-back, he appears to be the obvious alternative.
Gomez isn’t flawless, but his form is far superior at the moment. Konaté looks like he needs a reset, and that has been true for some time.
As Liverpool prepares to face Inter Milan on Tuesday, changes seem likely, if only as part of normal squad rotation. Replacing Konaté with Gomez should be one of them.
