The clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium is very important for Liverpool. The Gunners are chasing Liverpool closely with only 4 points less. Moreover, in the early match, Man City won 1-0 against Southampton, temporarily taking the top spot, so if Liverpool wants to regain this position, they must get 3 points. Therefore, the "Red Brigade" took the field with almost their strongest lineup. Virgil van Dijk played alongside Ibrahima Konate, forming a central defender duo in front of Kelleher's goal.
However, in the first half, Virgil van Dijk lost focus many times. The Dutch player was passed by Arsenal's strikers 3 times, creating dangerous attacks. Despite touching the ball 46 times, with a successful pass rate of up to 90%, Virgil van Dijk also lost the ball 4 times.
Arsenal and Liverpool (black shirts) are chasing each other on the rankings
In the commentary program of Sky Sports channel, former center-back Gary Neville commented: “Virgil van Dijk was nothing more than a clown in the first half. He was not strong enough to cover and help when his teammates were passed. At the same time, his height of 1.95 m could not be used because he did not have a good sense of space in the first half. With such a terrible performance, fans seemed to forget that Virgil van Dijk is one of the top center-backs in the Premier League at the moment.”
Virgil van Dijk (right) did not play well in the first half against Liverpool.
In the 9th minute, when Arsenal opened the scoring, Virgil van Dijk was the player who directly made the mistake because he was in the wrong position. The Liverpool captain pushed too high, forgetting Bukayo Saka on the right wing. Taking advantage of this, the Arsenal player dribbled straight into the middle, handled it delicately to eliminate Andrew Robertson's pursuit, and scored against Kelleher.
When Liverpool conceded their second goal in the 43rd minute, Virgil van Dijk was still the player who made the direct mistake. In a free kick from Arsenal's right wing, Virgil van Dijk missed the landing spot, allowing Mikel Merino to score. Although VAR intervened to consider the possibility of an offside position for the Arsenal player, the goal was quickly recognized because when drawing the line, the referee determined that Virgil van Dijk was in the lowest position.
Virgil van Dijk was given a 6.3 rating by the statistics site Sofascore after the first half, the lowest in Liverpool's squad. The only thing that consoled the 33-year-old player was that he scored a goal in the 18th minute, helping "The Kop" end the first half with a score of 1-2.
Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino (No. 23) took advantage of Virgil van Dijk's mistake, helping Arsenal score 2 goals.
After the break, Virgil van Dijk played a bit better. He frequently communicated with the surrounding satellites, directing Liverpool's defense to successfully neutralize Arsenal's attacks. Compared to the first half, Liverpool also played impressively, owning many dangerous opportunities. In the 81st minute, Mohamed Salah coordinated with Darwin Nunez, helping Liverpool tie the score at 2-2.
Sharing points at Emirates Stadium, Arsenal currently has 18 points, ranking 3rd in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Liverpool has 22 points, officially losing the top spot to Man City with 1 point less. At the same time, the 2-2 draw with Arsenal also caused "The Kop" to end the winning streak away from home since the beginning of the 2024-2025 season at 6.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/van-dijk-dong-vai-chang-he-liverpool-bi-arsenal-ngat-mach-thang-mat-luon-ngoi-dau-185241028014055156.htm
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