Jamie Carragher pulled no punches as he tore into one player’s performance during Liverpool’s rollercoaster 4-2 win over Bournemouth.
The defending champions appeared to be cruising when goals from new signing Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo put them 2-0 up. But defensive lapses allowed Antoine Semenyo to drag Bournemouth level, forcing late strikes from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah to spare Liverpool’s blushes.
Ibrahima Konaté, though, came under fire for his role in both Cherries’ goals with the former Liverpool defender branding his efforts “absolutely shocking” on Sky Sports commentary.
For 25 minutes, everything looked comfortable. New signing Hugo Ekitike marked his league debut with a smartly taken opener before Cody Gakpo doubled the advantage. With the Kop in full voice, Liverpool looked set to cruise.
But Bournemouth, and in particular Antoine Semenyo, had other ideas. Exploiting Liverpool’s lack of control in midfield and frailty in transition, the visitors struck back twice. Semenyo, who was reportedly subjected to racist abuse during the game, punished Liverpool with two ruthless finishes, restoring parity and exposing the back line in the process.
It took late goals from substitute Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah to secure the win, but the defensive display left Carragher fuming.
Konaté was singled out repeatedly by Carragher, who highlighted his role in both of Bournemouth’s goals.
On Semenyo’s first strike, the French defender stood off his man before half-heartedly closing the gap, allowing the forward to shoot unopposed.
“What is Konaté doing? Oh my God. He’s been absolutely shocking tonight, Konaté,”
Minutes later, with Liverpool under sustained pressure, Carragher again questioned his positioning.
“They’re under real pressure, it feels like a goal is coming. I mean Konaté’s positional play is all over the place. He has no idea where the Bournemouth attacking player is. He wasn’t in the right position for the first goal and again here he’s scrambling.”
Semenyo’s second goal, drilled low past Alisson Becker after a blistering counter-attack, came with Konaté desperately chasing back but failing to recover.
The performance came against the backdrop of uncertainty over Konaté’s future. The 25-year-old has so far rejected Liverpool’s contract extension offers, with Real Madrid monitoring his situation. The Reds are keen to avoid another long-running saga, tabling an improved deal in the hope of tying him down.
But displays like this will only intensify scrutiny. With Giovanni Leoni arriving for £26 million and Joe Gomez waiting in the wings, pressure is mounting on the Frenchman to reassert his place.
However, former Southampton forward Matt Le Tissier has leaped to the defence of Konaté and criticised Carragher for being too eager to blast the defender.
“Ibrahima Konate’s performance last night was an interesting one. Not one of his better games for Liverpool.
He was slammed by the commentator [Carragher] during the game. I think we’ve got to cut the boy a little bit of slack. It’s the first game of the season, it’s pretty early to be jumping on his case.”
For new head coach Arne Slot, the issues are nothing new. Liverpool looked vulnerable in their Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend, and again lacked midfield control and defensive stability against Bournemouth.
Carragher was clear in his assessment:
“Liverpool had no control in midfield, just like last week. They were wide open, and once again the back four were exposed. Konaté in particular had a really poor game.”
It was a damning verdict from a man who knows the standards required at Anfield better than most.
Liverpool may have left Anfield with three points, goals from their new signings, but beneath the euphoria, the defensive cracks were impossible to ignore.
For Konaté, a player once earmarked as Virgil van Dijk’s long-term partner, this was perhaps his most difficult night in a Liverpool shirt. And when Carragher calls it “shocking,” the message could not be more clear — if Liverpool are to retain their crown, major defensive improvement is urgently needed.
