Kolo scoops prize for November's star man
Kolo Toure has picked up his first Standard Chartered Player of the Month award after fans selected the Ivorian defender as the club's star performer in November.
It was a challenging month for Brendan Rodgers' side, who endured four consecutive defeats across the competitions before bucking the trend against Ludogorets Razgrad and ending with a victory over Stoke City at Anfield.
Following defeat to Newcastle United, Rodgers' side travelled to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid, on a night when the manager elected to make wholesale changes to his line-up and, in doing so, handed Toure a third start of the current campaign.
The centre-back kept Cristiano Ronaldo at bay, forcing the prolific Portuguese marksman to draw a blank for the first time in 12 consecutive matches; however, Karim Benzema settled the game with a clinical first-half strike.
Toure watched from the sidelines as the Reds suffered back-to-back losses in the league, first against Chelsea at Anfield and then at Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace were 3-1 victors on a difficult day in the capital.
Restored to the starting XI for the clash against Ludogorets, Toure played his part as Liverpool halted their disappointing run of four defeats and were denied victory in the final minutes as the home side clinched a 2-2 draw in Sofia.
Glen Johnson's bravery ensured the Reds could celebrate a first victory since October 28 when he lunged low to steer the decisive goal against Stoke City in late November, with Toure turning in a solid display to ensure the team kept a third clean sheet of the season.
His defensive displays clearly buoyed Kopites as they reflected on what was a disappointing month initially for the Reds, voting him the prize ahead of teammates Rickie Lambert and Lucas Leiva in a poll carried out on both the official website and the club's Twitter account, @LFC.
Upon a special presentation of the accolade at Melwood, Toure said: "I'm very pleased. It's the first time I've received this award. I thank God and my teammates, the staff and the manager. All the work we do helped the team improve in this month and we hope we can carry on doing that.
"It's fantastic to be voted for by the Liverpool fans. They are really passionate and know football very, very well.
"For me, it's a big privilege and I am very happy to be recognised by them. It's fantastic."