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Liverpool made it through to the next round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win against Arsenal at The Emirates on Sunday in the third round.
The Reds faced plenty of pressure throughout the match and were perhaps fortunate to be level at the break as the hosts missed a number of presentable opportunities.
However, they stood strong and secured passage through to the fourth round thanks to an own goal from Jakub Kiwior and a thumping finish from Luis Diaz in the second half.
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He has scored a winning goal at Anfield in the past.
Ibrahima Konate produced a monstrous performance at the heart of the defence but Trent Alexander-Arnold also punished the Gunners with his display.
Ibrahima Konate’s performance against Arsenal in numbers
The impressive central defender was a brick wall at the back for Liverpool and stood up strong against an almost constant barrage of pressure from the hosts.
Konate ended the match with a 100% (2/2) duel success rate as he did not allow any of Arsenal’s players to get the better of him in physical contests.
The French titan also made two clearances, two blocks, and two interceptions, to go along with one tackle. These statistics show that the towering ace made a number of vital defensive interventions to prevent Alisson from being worked even more than he was.
Konate also helped Alexander-Arnold out a couple of times by coming across to deal with Gabriel Martinelli to stop him from delivering a cross into the six-yard box after the right-back was beaten by the Brazilian whiz.
Overall, it was a terrific display from the France international and one that earned him BBC’s Player of the Match award from pundit and co-commentator Alan Shearer.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performance against Arsenal in numbers
Alongside Konate, Alexander-Arnold punished Arsenal for their lack of ruthlessness in the first half with a telling contribution in the second 45.
The England international provided a perfect free-kick into the Arsenal six-yard box from the left wing to force Kiwior to head the ball into his own net.
Alexander-Arnold’s delivery was so good that it gave the Gunners defender little choice but to get something on it or leave the ball to find the head of a Liverpool player or go straight in.
23/24 Premier League |
Alexander-Arnold (via Sofascore) |
---|---|
Appearances |
18 |
Sofascore rating |
7.39 |
Goals |
Two |
Assists |
Three |
Big chances created |
12 |
The Reds star created two chances outside of that, which was as many as the team’s starting midfield three of Alexis Mac Allister (zero), Curtis Jones (one), and Harvey Elliott (one) created combined.
This shows that the full-back, who inverted into midfield when possible and played in the middle of the park towards the end of the match, was the creative spark for Jurgen Klopp in possession.
Alexander-Arnold also won six of his nine duels, which included 100% (2/2) of his aerial battles, as he came out on top in the majority of his physical contests, whilst the talented ace also made three clearances and two blocks.
As aforementioned, Martinelli was able to get the better of him twice but neither of those moments led to anything substantial for Arsenal as Konate prevented the winger from going any further.
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