"Came on and spoiled the show", "He was pathetic there" - Liverpool fans furious with star for his showing in loss to Spurs

Liverpool fans took to social media to share their fury at defender Ibrahima Konate for his performance in the Reds' 0-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Both sides faced off in their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg clash at New White Hart Lane on Wednesday, January 8.

Lucas Bergvall scored in the 86th minute and celebrated wildly, much to the delight of Tottenham fans. It was a controversial goal, as the midfielder was lucky not to have picked up a second yellow card and gotten sent off a minute prior.

He tackled Kostas Tsimikas during a Liverpool counter-attack, and the left-back was off the field getting treatment when the Reds conceded. Ibrahima Konate fought Dominik Solanke for the ball, but the Spurs striker held firm and brushed him off, before laying it on for Bergvall to score.

Konate played the final 10 minutes of the game, plus injury time, and he lost an important duel that led to the Spurs goal.

After the game, fans reacted angrily to the defender's performance with comments like these on X:

"Konate came on and spoiled the show 😢" a fan said.

"Disregarding the fact the man who scored shouldn't be on the pitch, Konate was pathetic there." another fan complained.

"Konate was not needed in this match. [He's] full of blunders" a third was angry.

"Try dreadful defending from konate. Solanke brushed him off so easily. Doesn’t matter about the sending off" a fourth was upset.

"Konate is usually borderline clumsy ..he is always about to do something that will cost us. Today was one." a fan claimed.

"We have clearly rushed Konate back. He doesn't look remotely fit. But because FSG have left Slot short in the centre back position Slot has no other options. We clearly have owners who care more about balance sheets than trophy cabinets 👍" a fan analyzed.

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Virgil van Dijk slams refereeing in Liverpool loss to Tottenham

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has slammed the referee's decision not to send off Lucas Bergvall, who scored the only goal in the 0-1 loss to Tottenham.

After the game, the defender claimed that referee Stuart Atwell "made a mistake" (via The Anfield Talk on X):

“I think it was quite obvious it was gonna be a second yellow. It was pretty clear. A minute later he scored the winner, he made a mistake in my opinion, I told him that. He thinks he didn't. The fact is he would have been off. There is a linesman. A referee and VAR..I am not saying that this is why we lost.”

Liverpool have now been handed their second loss of the season. This is an admirable feat, with the campaign already in its final five months. Aside from a 0-1 loss to Nottingham Forest, this is the only game where the Reds were unable to find the back of the net.

The Reds will next face Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup Third Round at Anfield on January 11, before they return to Premier League football.