Mark Lawrenson slams Ibrahima Konate for Everton horror show

In a scathing assessment of Liverpool's dismal performance against Everton in Wednesday night's Merseyside Derby, former Liverpool player and pundit Mark Lawrenson singled out a key defender for criticism following a lacklustre display.

After the Reds suffered a devastating 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park, which effectively extinguished their hopes of clinching the Premier League title this season, Lawrenson, a former defender himself, expressed his astonishment at centre-back Ibrahima Konate's poor performance.

Speaking on Off the Ball sports show, the 66-year-old said: "I was surprised by Konate last night because he does like a fight and it’s right up his street."

However, he seemed to "wither and die a bit", which left the Reds struggling defensively.

The Frenchman struggled to cope with the physicality of the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite and inadvertently deflected the ball into the path of the latter who gave the relegation battlers the lead.

Konate ponderous in possession

The 24-year-old was also often ponderous in possession, to the visible frustration of his central defensive partner, Virgil van Dijk.

Eventually, after 63 minutes, Konate was substituted and replaced by Jarell Quansah.

His performance "left Van Dijk holding the fort", said Lawrenson, who conceded: "Van Dijk can’t hold the fort every single game he plays in."

A 'gutless' performance from Liverpool

While Lawrenson's criticism was directed towards Konate, he also acknowledged that the entire Liverpool team underperformed against Everton.

The lack of intensity and determination from the Reds was evident throughout the match, with Lawrenson describing their performance as "gutless".

The defeat against Everton has dealt a severe blow to Liverpool's title aspirations, with the Jurgen Klopp era seemingly set to conclude on a sour note.

With little chance of reclaiming the league trophy this season, attention turns to the future, with Lawrenson suggesting that the current squad must improve significantly under their next manager if they are to challenge for silverware next season.