Ibrahima Konate disputes Liverpool award after Arsenal FA Cup win

Ibrahima Konate has spoken of his delight after Liverpool booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup and believes half-time changes were key to the win over Arsenal.

Jurgen Klopp’s side struck twice late on to beat the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal paying the price for missing a host of opportunities. Jakub Kiwior deflected Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick into his own net to open the scoring 10 minutes from time.

Then, with Arsenal pushing for an equaliser, the Reds hit Mikel Arteta’s men on the break, with Luis Diaz firing an emphatic finish high Aaron Ramsdale. Konate was named man of the match, but he dedicated his award to his team-mates.

“I am very happy to get this,” the Liverpool centre-back said. “But, I think the man-of-the-match award goes to all of the team because we did a big job all together, and without them, I would never receive this.

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“I am very happy and now we go into the next round, but the most important thing is to work quickly because we have a game in three days."

Asked about the tactical tweaks Reds boss Klopp made at half-time, the Frenchman said: "Arsenal had many chances and we had to sort it quickly. It was a little bit harder when we started the game, but in the second half we changed a few things, and I think when we changed that, it was better for us, and we scored twice. 2-0, clean sheet, I am very happy."

Next up is a first-leg Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham at Anfield and Konate is hoping Liverpool can do better than two seasons ago when they won the League Cup and FA Cup.

He said: