Arne Slot makes damning 'crime scene' admission about Ibrahima Konate after Liverpool throw away win at Leeds

Aiming to get back to winning ways after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with in-form Sunderland, Liverpool took a two-goal lead early in the second half against Leeds when striker Hugo Ekitike netted a quickfire double. 

Having not scored in the league since bagging in September’s 2-1 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby, the former Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris Saint-Germain forward - starting ahead of the benched Alexander Isak - scored two goals in as many minutes.

However, while Liverpool looked to be in complete control of proceedings, Konate handed Leeds a route back into the match from the penalty spot after he brought down winger Wilfried Gnonto inside the area. 

Former Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the resulting spot-kick, before Reds centre-back Konate then backed off Leeds midfielder Anton Stach as the German let fly, beating goalkeeper Alisson with a powerful drive from inside the box.

With Elland Road rocking, Liverpool showed great character to wrestle the momentum back, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring what looked to be the all-important winner for his side following a lung-busting run from midfield.

But Konate appeared to be at fault again in the dying embers the game, ducking from the ball as a deep corner found its way to Leeds midfielder Ao Tanaka, who scored for the second time this week in the sixth minute of injury time.

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Speaking in his post-match press conference following a disappointing result, while Liverpool manager Slot defended Konate’s effort, he admitted the former RB Leipzig man has often been the key culprit in what has been an incident-packed season for his side.

“Unfortunately for him [Konate] he does a lot of things well but he has been a bit too much at the crime scene,” said Slot. “Today it was a tackle that came from effort, he tried everything to block the cross.”

And speaking to Sky Sports following the final whistle, the Dutchman added: “There's a sense of disbelief. I think we played quite well or very well during large parts of the game and we went 2-0 up. I don't think we had any problems and I don't think we conceded a chance until the moment we made a foul, which is not even a chance.

“It's then 2-1 and not many moments later they made it 2-2 with the first chance they had. Then we go up and you think you've done enough to win the game, but then a set piece leads to the 3-3.

“It's not about me. It's about us, it's about the fans. The players have worked so hard and to concede from a set-piece again - the 10th or 11th this season. If you concede so many like this, you cannot be higher up the table than we are.

“To go away with a 3-3, I don't think that's what we deserved. We conceded without the other team even having a chance. It's so difficult to play a game of football if you don't even concede a chance and it goes in.

“We can only look at ourselves because we are the ones that are doing it. That's the situation we are in.”

While Slot was conducting his post-match press conference, Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah gave an incendiary interview in which he said his relationship with the manager is over after being named on the substitutes bench for the third successive match against Leeds.

In an astonishing set of remarks, the 33-year-old said he believes he has been “thrown under the bus” by Slot and that he plans to say “goodbye” to supporters in next Saturday’s league clash with Brighton, with the forward unsure if he has a future at the club.

Following the match against Fabian Hurzeler’s side, Salah will head to Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations camp ahead of the tournament starting on Sunday, 21 December in Morocco.

In quotes carried by The Times, he said: “I’m very, very disappointed. I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season.

“Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.

“I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am in the bench for three games, so I can’t say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.

“This club, I always support it. My kids will always support it. I love the club so much, I will always do. I called my mum yesterday — you guys didn’t know if I would start or not, but I knew.

“Yesterday I said to [my parents], ‘Come to the Brighton game.’ I don’t know if I am going to play or not but I am going to enjoy it. In my head, I’m going to enjoy that game because I don’t know what is going to happen now. I will be at Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go the Africa Cup. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”

Before Salah heads to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt, Liverpool travel to Serie A giants Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Liverpool are currently eighth in the Premier League table, while they also sit 13th in the Champions League standings. Meanwhile, Cristian Chivu’s Inter are currently fourth in the table after winning four and losing just one of their five fixtures in Europe’s elite club competition. They are also top of Serie A, having tasted victory in 10 of their 14 league games this term.