Since joining Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk has not lost a Premier League game at Anfield. Yes, you read that correctly. The Dutch center-back was once again instrumental in the Reds’ three-point victory over Manchester City at home on Sunday.
Liverpool’s afternoon performance will arguably go down as one of the best under Jurgen Klopp, considering how they managed the game to eventually win. The Reds entered the afternoon’s game in 11th place on the league standings, with only 10 points to their name. They were not deterred, however, and built a great wall of resilience before hitting Man City where it hurts the most and when they least expected it.
After all the thrills and spills that saw Phil Foden’s momentary opener being overturned by VAR and Jurgen Klopp seeing a red card for a misdemeanor on the touchline, it was Mohamed Salah who emerged s the hero for Liverpool. While Erling Haaland uncharacteristically struggled to find his goalscoring boots, the Egyptian raced onto Alisson’s clearance before capitalizing on Joao Cancelo’s slip-up to finally beat Ederson with a composed finish in the 76th minute. Earlier, the attacker had seen a 1v1 attempt dispelled by the Brazilian shot-stopper and was minutes away from being met with criticism from the Anfield faithful.
In hindsight, the game’s outcome meant that Virgil van Dijk has now played 69 Premier League games since joining Liverpool in January 2018 and is yet to taste defeat at Anfield. The Reds have managed 58 wins and 11 draws within the period.
The result also meant that Man City was defeated for the first time this season, leaving the Citizens four points behind league leaders Arsenal. The latter won against Leeds on Sunday and now have 27 points out of a possible 30.
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