Jonathan Woodgate was particularly impressed by Ibrahima Konate’s first-half performance for Liverpool.
The Frenchman was brought in for an injured Joel Matip and enjoyed a largely superb outing for the men in red as they trounced Rangers by seven goals to one.
“Ibrahima Konate is having a great game. He’s such a solid defender,” the former Leeds United star told BBC Radio 5 Live (via BBC Sport). “He’s been magnificent in this half.”
It’s not a performance that should have fans assuming Jurgen Klopp’s side are back to their absolute thrilling best ahead of a crunch tie with Manchester City, though it certainly never hurts to grab a big scoreline against Champions League-level opposition.
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Despite a somewhat long injury layoff, our No.5 showed little in the way of signs of having been absent from the first-XI for an extended period of time.
Huge question marks should remain over our midfield and the ease with which Rangers registered their opening effort, though it’s reassuring to see the impact the former RB Leizpig man had on our defensive solidity.
If our German tactician can work some miracles with the middle of the park in time for a meeting with the Sky Blues on Sunday, we may yet stand a solid chance of getting a result against the incumbent champions.