Liverpool did not do much wrong in their narrow Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, with fine margins not falling their way, but Ibrahima Konate was outstanding.
The Reds were beaten 1-0 in Paris on Saturday evening, with Vinicius Jr’s second-half goal proving to be the winner in a heartbreaker in Paris.
Here we compare our player ratings with those from the Liverpool Echo, the Independent, WhoScored, FotMob and the TIA readers.
Konate (8.2) was easily Liverpool’s best player on the night, as he shone back in his hometown.
The 23-year-old was a colossal presence all evening, handling Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema with aplomb and showcasing his vast potential.
TIA’s Joanna Durkan praised Konate for being the “definition of calm and composed,” especially given the magnitude of the game.
Dylan Terry of the Independent felt that he “more than justified his selection ahead of Joel Matip“, also highlighting a “wonderful sliding tackle to deny Vinicius.”
In second place a fair way behind was Mohamed Salah (6.8), who tried in vain but was never at his absolute best all evening.
The Echo‘s Ian Doyle pointed out that the Egyptian “drew three excellent saves” from the inspired Thibaut Courtois, one of which came after a sublime first touch.
And sharing an equal third in the ratings was Virgil van Dijk (6.7) and Thiago (6.7), although neither will exactly cherish their respective showings as vintage.
In terms of the poorest performer, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz (6.3) all shared the lowest average rating.
It summed up how many players were off it in Paris, in what was, an understandably, a tired-looking performance from both the team and individuals after going the distance in each competition.
So that’s that for another season – it was a brave effort by Liverpool, but ultimately, their 63rd match of a relentless season proved to be a step too far.
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