Alexis Mac Allister singled out one of his Liverpool teammates for praise following the 2-0 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
In the absence of Virgil van Dijk due to illness, Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah partnered at centre-back, and both had immense games in helping the Reds to leave the Emirates Stadium victorious.
The latter was hailed by his midfield teammate after the match, with the Argentine World Cup winner telling The Athletic: “Quansah had an amazing game”.
Mac Allister added that Liverpool ‘defended very well’ and ‘showed our mentality’ in surviving a first-half onslaught to prevail against Arsenal yesterday.
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Quansah’s integration into the Liverpool first team has been so seamless that you could be forgiven for not realising that this is his inaugural campaign at senior level for the Reds, with the 20-year-old only making his senior debut for the club against Newcastle in late August (Transfermarkt).
He’s still just 15 matches into his LFC career (Transfermarkt) but he’s already shown a maturity and composure which belies his young age and inexperience, and his performance against Arsenal was yet another feather in his cap.
As per Sofascore, the centre-back took 81 touches, completed 87% of his passes (60/69), won four duels, found a teammate with four long balls and made one tackle, one clearance and two interceptions.
Both Quansah and Konate stood tall for Liverpool yesterday when needed, particularly in a first half that Arsenal dominated, and every Reds fan who watched the game would firmly agree with Mac Allister’s five-word verdict.
The 20-year-old has only had half a season as a senior LFC player – just think about how high a ceiling he could have over the coming years if he continues to progress with the same trajectory that he has since the start of the campaign.
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