Ibrahima Konate doesn’t have great memories of his recent meetings with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Gary Neville gave an especially brutal review of one of the Liverpool defender’s performances
James Findlater Content Editor
23:05, 29 Dec 2025
Gary Neville was brutal in his verdict on Ibrahima Konate’s performance against Everton in 2024(Image: Getty Images)
Ibrahima Konate will be hoping he has better luck when he comes up against Dominic Calvert-Lewin again this week.
The Liverpool defender certainly won’t have good memories of his most recent meeting with the striker. Konate was directly at fault for the penalty that was given away against Leeds at Elland Road earlier this month, with Calvert-Lewin stepping up to halve the deficit after Hugo Ekitike had fired the visitors into a 2-0 lead.
From there, the Reds unraveled. Leeds soon equalized, and despite Dominik Szoboszlai putting Liverpool back ahead, another late leveler saw the hosts snatch a point. And of course, we all know what happened after the game with Mohamed Salah.
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Konate will get a shot at redemption when Leeds visits Anfield on New Year’s Day – but it’s not just that game in Yorkshire that might be on the Frenchman’s mind.
Konate suffered another nightmare against Calvert-Lewin back when the England international was still an Everton player. With Liverpool’s title hopes fading away during the final days of Jurgen Klopp’s time as manager in 2024, the final nail was driven into the coffin when the Reds suffered a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park – the first of the German’s tenure.
And Calvert-Lewin proved to be Konate’s chief tormenter that night – so much so that just a few minutes after he had headed home Everton’s second from a corner, Konate was hauled off and replaced by Jarell Quansah.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin ‘bullied’ Ibrahima Konate during Everton’s win over Liverpool in 2024, according to Gary Neville(Image: Getty Images)
“When Calvert-Lewin is at his best, he can bully center-backs,” Gary Neville surmised while commentating on the game for Sky Sports.
“Konate is a big bloke. (But Calvert-Lewin) has got to him. That’s the thing about center-backs, they don’t like losing aerial duels and Everton are the best at it. He’s got some spring, that man (Calvert-Lewin).
“Konate was picked for the right reasons, to be that dominant partner for Virgil van Dijk, but it’s just not worked. They can’t handle Calvert-Lewin. He is beating Liverpool’s center-backs up. He’s on fire.”
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And Neville didn’t stop there as he rubbed some more salt in the wounds after the game.
“There was an element of this game where you felt Liverpool were outmuscled,” Neville said during his podcast. “I wouldn’t say outfought because Liverpool teams work hard but they were outmuscled by Everton in the big moments in both boxes.
“Liverpool lost the game in both boxes, which is where you lose the game, but physically they lost the game in both boxes.
Konate was also at fault for letting Leeds back into the game in his most recent meeting with Calvert-Lewin
“That was surprising. I was really surprised that Konate, who I thought was the right pick alongside Van Dijk, he just got pushed around and nudged and ruffled.
“I didn’t expect that. I just expected them to be really powerful and dominant in those areas.”
It hasn’t been a stellar season for Konate by any means, with his performances not helping some of the ill-feeling that has developed among supporters as his contract continues to run down.
With Liverpool boasting the worst record in Europe’s top five leagues when it comes to defending set-pieces, it’s about time the Frenchman started to turn the narrative around, and getting one over on Calvert-Lewin this week would be the ideal start.