BBC pundit blown away by ‘magnificent’ £36m Liverpool star after first-half performance v Rangers

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Liverpool, Konate, Woodgate
Liverpool players (back L-R) Liverpool's Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Liverpool's Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez, Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's French defender Ibrahima Konate, Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Fabinho, Liverpool's English defender Joe Gomez, (L-R) Liverpool's Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino, Liverpool's Portuguese midfielder Fabio Carvalho, Liverpool's English midfielder Jordan Henderson, Liverpool's English midfielder Harvey Elliott and Liverpool's Greek defender Kostas Tsimikas pose for a group picture before the UEFA Champions League Group A football match between Glasgow Rangers and Liverpool at the Ibrox Stadium, in Glasgow, on October 12, 2022. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

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.

READ MORE: Van Dijk spotted ‘going absolutely spare’ at teammate over first-half moment v Rangers

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.

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