Ibrahima Konate is on a remarkable run of goalscoring form, having found the net in three successive appearances. There won’t have been many instances of a centre-back having done that in the past, be that for Liverpool or any club.
Many central defenders don’t score three in a season, never mind in three games running. Konate’s goals were hugely important too, as they opened the scoring in both legs of the Champions League quarter-final with Benfica, as well as in the FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City.
Having not played too well in the first half of either league meeting with Pep Guardiola’s side this season, it was imperative that the Reds got off to a good start at Wembley. When he headed in Andy Robertson’s corner delivery in just the ninth minute, Konate ensured that they did. His goal could have wider implications for the Premier League title race too.
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On the face of it, it’s hardly surprising that Liverpool scored from a dead ball situation on Saturday. They are joint-top of the Premier League (with City) for set play goals this season and they lead the chart for the 2021/22 Champions League too. Indeed, as they have eight European goals from set pieces and the other semi-finalists each have three, they should finish the season top of that table no matter what happens from here onward.
However, while the Reds’ set play prowess is beyond reproach, that doesn’t automatically mean they were going to score at Wembley. City have a remarkable record for defending dead ball situations this season, which could see them set records that may never be beaten.
They haven’t yet conceded from a set piece in the Champions League and they hadn’t in the FA Cup prior to Saturday. Back in September, Brandon Hanlan pounced at the Etihad for Wycombe Wanderers, stabbing home the ball when it pinballed round the box following a corner, but that was the only goal City conceded in the League Cup before going out to West Ham on penalties.
With cup competitions featuring relatively few fixtures, to only concede two set play goals in them isn’t that unlikely. What is more remarkable is the fact City have let in just one goal from a set piece in the Premier League this season.
When beating Aston Villa away from home in December, the defending champions eased into a 2-0 lead in the first half. Two minutes after the break, Ollie Watkins volleyed in a Douglas Luiz corner to halve the arrears, but City held on to win 2-1.
Konate’s goal last weekend wasn’t therefore just a rare one for the Citizens to concede but unique, at least as far as 2021/22 goes, as it was the first headed effort they had allowed from a set play across the whole campaign.
There’s every chance Guardiola will not be unduly concerned beyond the impact it had upon the match in question. City had neither of their most used centre-backs (Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte) on the pitch, nor their first-choice goalkeeper. As Ederson is fifth in the Premier League for proportion of opposition crosses stopped, when he returns alongside the preferred central defenders there’s every chance they will return to being secure in dead ball situations.
However, their credentials will face further tests before the conclusion of the Premier League campaign. West Ham have the joint-third most set play goals, behind Liverpool and City, and Guardiola’s side must travel to face them on the penultimate weekend of the season.
City also face Newcastle and Aston Villa either side of that match, and they are two of the other six teams in the division who are in double figures for scoring from set pieces this term. This doesn’t mean they will definitely score this way against the Citizens, of course, but consider the following:
No team has got through a Premier League season since 2009/10 without conceding fewer than three set play goals, and City have conceded once from dead ball chances worth 3.8 expected goals (per Understat) in this campaign. With their final three league matches against teams who prosper in set piece situations, a little reversion to the mean could bite them at the best possible time from Liverpool’s perspective.
