Virgil van Dijk lauds 'fantastic' Liverpool teammate who Arne Slot says deserves more credit

For someone who started this season out of the Liverpool starting XI, Ibrahima Konate has really established himself in the team in recent weeks, looking like there is a very limited threat to his place. Against Arsenal, he impressed once again.

"He should be Man of the Match more, but he doesn't get the credit," Arne Slot said during his press conference. And his center-back partner, Virgil van Dijk, is in agreement about the positive steps the French defender is taking at Anfield this season.

"He's making big progress," Van Dijk told reporters, including from Liverpool.com, at the Emirates Stadium. "He's a fantastic player, so consistent now as well. He's getting the praise that I think he deserves. He's looking after himself in the best way possible. He's growing as a leader, and he's a fantastic partner."

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Konate won 100 per cent of his tackles against Arsenal, made six recoveries, and only lost one duel. Now 25, the former RB Leipzig star is ready to hit the peak years of his career — and so far this season, he has been managing to play three games per week without a problem.

The Liverpool center-back partnership made nine headed clearances between them against the Gunners, though it felt like a lot more than that. Van Dijk scored the first equalizing goal, but both he and Konate played their part.

"A well-deserved point," Van Dijk said of the game in general. "Tough game for both sides. Second half, we were the better team. First half, we played well, but maybe it could have been a bit better, and they scored the 2-1 goal.

"We can keep speaking about them missing players but we also missed players. We are in October. People that spoke about [the title race], the season is still short. There are so many twists and turns that will come and will happen."

"It's a physical game," he added when asked about the coming together early on with Arsenal forward Kai Havertz. "These things happen. It goes both ways, and it's part and parcel of the game."

Despite winning 11 times out of 13 under Slot, Liverpool and Van Dijk — now a point behind Manchester City and still four ahead of Arsenal — are refusing to get carried away when it comes to the Premier League title race.

"I think at the start of the season with a new manager coming, no one is really thinking about how good it could go," Van Dijk said. "So far it is outstanding. We're just trying to win the game ahead of us and be the best version of ourselves as a team and individuals.

"We showed amazing football, defending and attacking, but we all realize that we have to improve. That's the focus on a daily basis before the games. We focus on one game at a time."