It’s perhaps not a surprise then that the errors of one key Liverpool player avoided microscopic assessment. Virgil van Dijk doesn’t commit too many mistakes, but at Spurs he was culpable for two of Tottenham’s goals.
The second in particular – scored by Dejan Kulusevski – was uncharacteristically poor from the ex-Southampton man. He followed the run of Dominic Solanke towards the middle of the pitch, failed to win the ball and left a chasm in the heart of defence for the Tottenham attacker to turn and flick a pass into the path of onrushing Kulusevski.
The Swedish international confidently volleyed beyond Alisson to make it 5-2, but a freeze frame when he struck the ball showed three of Liverpool’s defenders in a perfect line, with Van Dijk pushed five yards further up.
As for Tottenham’s third goal, Van Dijk briefly lost Solanke in the box and that split second proved crucial as Brennan Johnson’s cross into the area was tapped home by the former Liverpool man. While not as glaring as the mistake for the second goal, Van Dijk’s inability to stay within touching distance of Solanke cost the Reds.
If one were to be hypercritical, there’s even an argument that the Liverpool skipper should have been five yards higher up for Spurs’ opening goal of the game, although that was definitely the fault of Alexis Mac Allister, who lost possession at the edge of the box and afforded James Maddison the opportunity to curl the ball past Van Dijk and into the net.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk escaped without any criticism from Sunday’s game. (Image: Getty Images)
But Van Dijk’s mistake – particularly for the second goal – avoided any sort of criticism. There was no mention on social media, while the Sky Sports pundits eulogized over another flawless display. Les Ferdinand referred to Van Dijk as a ‘Rolls-Royce defender’, while Jamie Redknapp praised him as a ‘leader of men’.
All that is true – and Van Dijk has been arguably the best center-back in the history of the Premier League – but defensive errors should still be highlighted as they would for any other player. He’s not immune to criticism.
There was plenty to admire about the 33-year-old’s performance at Tottenham – his control and turn when he intercepted a long ball into Solanke in the first half was sublime – but it was a little surprising to see him escape without any negative remarks.
