Multiple Liverpool players were criticised for their performances during Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, including Ibrahima Konate, who was the subject of scrutiny from Gary Neville
07:46, 05 Oct 2025Updated 08:59, 05 Oct 2025
Arne Slot didn’t waste time making changes against Chelsea(Image: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Gary Neville has picked out the moment when Arne Slot became ‘annoyed’ at Ibrahima Konate during Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Chelsea. The Premier League champions suffered their third successive defeat at Stamford Bridge, going down to a 96th-minute Estevao goal.
But Liverpool had problems long before Chelsea’s winner. Slot’s men conceded within the opening quarter of an hour and deservedly went into half-time 1-0 down.
Slot made one substitution at the break, bringing on Florian Wirtz for Conor Bradley, before making two further changes just 10 minutes after the restart. One of those saw Konate hooked in place of Curtis Jones, prompting Ryan Gravenberch to retreat and become a makeshift centre-back.
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According to Neville, Slot wanted to urgently address Liverpool’s failure to progress the ball from defence, as they chased an equaliser against a buoyant Chelsea. “If you watch Konate on the ball at the start of the second half, he is just walking with it,” Neville said on commentary for Sky Sports.
“It’s frustrating me and annoying me to be honest with you, it’s obviously annoying Slot as well because he has decided he is going to get somebody who is better on the ball at the back.
“That is strange from Konate. No idea what he was trying to do, you could see it coming as well as he stepped in. You thought, ‘Where is his option, where is his pass?'”
Yet Slot said that the Frenchman was carrying a knock, prompting his decision to bring him off. “I don’t know if it’s a big injury, but I do know that he limped,” the Liverpool boss revealed post-match. “And I asked him, and he said, ‘I feel my quad a little bit’.
“But for me all alarm bells go off because in another sprint then you never know if that is going to go good, so it was already a substitution I had in mind for maybe a little bit later, because the right centre-back has a lot of ball possession, and we all know that Ryan is good in there.
Ibrahima Konate was slammed by Gary Neville(Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
“So it might be okay and he went off early enough, but it was clear that I had to take him off because he was limping.”
Slot’s changes took effect almost immediately, as Liverpool gathered momentum and got a foothold in the game. Cody Gakpo equalised just seven minutes after the double substitution, and his goal looked enough to have salvaged a draw for the visitors, who’d thrown away a point away to Crystal Palace last weekend.
But like at Selhurst Park, Liverpool couldn’t hold on. “Last season we lost against Chelsea as well,” Slot reflected amid his worst run as Liverpool manager.
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“Stamford Bridge is always difficult. We were very close to a result. Small margins. As I said at Galatasaray, we had a one-v-one then they get a penalty. We concede in extra, extra time against Palace. And then today they score a goal that could go at either end.
“After we scored 1-1 it went our way and I think I was waiting for us to score the second. Decision-making could’ve been better, last 10-15 minutes was end-to-end.
“We arrived in their 18-yard box with [Andy] Robertson, we couldn’t control the ball but again it’s fine margins like it’s been for as long as I’ve been here. Last week, same as this week two difficult away games, the fine margins haven’t been in our favour.”
Liverpool head into the international break second in the table behind Arsenal. Manchester United are up next at home.
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