24 December 2023 , 09:00
1005
0
They love Virgil van Dijk at Anfield, and rightly so.
The Dutchman is of course the player who changed everything for Jurgen Klopp. He's the man who came into the club a week after the Reds had shipped three goals in five minutes in a madcap 3-3 draw with Arsenal. He's the man who won the Champions League and the Premier League as the best defender in the world. "We watch him defend, and we watch him score" sing the Kop. He's the man, basically.
They love William Saliba at the Emirates, and rightly so.
The Frenchman is the defender who was allowed to blossom back home on three different loan spells. He's the classy centre-back who represents so much that is good about the modern Arsenal. No longer rushed and frantic, they are calm, cool and composed. After Arsenal beat Liverpool 3-2 last October the familiar 'Saliba!' chant to the tune of 'Tequila!' was being bellowed all the way down Holloway Road.
Van Dijk and Saliba are two players who are often highlighted when things go well for their teams, and again rightly so. Both are superb defenders, and both were great again on Saturday evening. But what about their partners?
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
There was something almost mesmeric about watching Ibrahima Konate, Van Dijk's sidekick for club and Saliba's for country, at Anfield. He was everything a modern centre-back is expected to be, which frankly is a ridiculous amount of things, but he did them all from the last ditch challenges to the blocking of shots to the remarkable recovery runs to the holding of a high line loftier than Liverpool's Radio City tower.
Konate was brilliant at the back for Liverpool against Arsenal (AFP via Getty Images)
Gabriel shone for the Gunners, and grabbed their goal at Anfield (Getty Images)On a couple of occasions he ushered Gabriel Martinelli to the touchline in the manner that a bouncer might deny you access to one of Liverpool's many fine drinking establishments if you'd had a bit too much, and he did it with such speed and grace. He was absolutely superb.
At the other end there was Gabriel, who grabbed the attention early on with his header past a stranded Alisson as a static Liverpool defence was breached, and he then proceeded to stand up tall in the face of mounting Liverpool attacks, dominating Cody Gakpo, marshalling his back four and doing a bit more of the dirty work than the classier Saliba.
Both Konate and Gabriel showed just what you have to do to be an elite centre-back in this kind of company, and given that this is a fixture often so lauded for goals and attacking play the fact that they thrilled so much with their defending told its own story. They made defending look cool.
Van Dijk and Saliba might get the love, the attention and the catchy songs, but their often overlooked partners grabbed their own bit of the limelight here, and it was a joy to witness.