Virgil van Dijk enjoyed a dream debut for Liverpool by heading the winner in front of the Kop in the 230th Merseyside derby as they knocked Everton out of the FA Cup.
On a feisty night under the Anfield lights, the world’s most expensive defender proved he can be effective at both ends of the pitch by nodding in an 84th-minute corner to make it 2-1.
The Holland international becomes the first player to score a winner at Anfield in an FA Cup tie against Everton, at the fifth time of asking.
Gylfi Sigurdsson’s 67th-minute goal had earlier cancelled out James Milner’s first-half penalty in a blood-and-thunder contest which threatened to be tainted by a first-half flare-up between Mason Holgate, who conceded the spot-kick, and Roberto Firmino.
Here we look in-depth at the performance of Virgil van Dijk.
STATS
Goals – 1
Shots – 3 (2)
Tackles – 1
Touches – 79
Passes – 62
Pass Accuracy – 75.8%
Key passes – 0
Aerials Won – 5
Dispossessed – 0
EFFECTIVENESS
The 26-year-old produced a towering display on his Liverpool debut and led the defence with his crisp passing, solid tackling and strong aerial ability.
The centre-back started the game well enough, initially being turned for pace by Yannick Bolasie after five minutes but the ball went out for a goal kick.
Apart from that error, he didn’t do too much wrong defensively but the fact that he won five aerial duels, had 79 touches and weighed in with the winning goal speaks volumes of his influence on the Reds defence.
His calmness on and off the ball rubbed off on his back four and will be a vital ingredient as the season progresses.
The Dutchman did attempt a few penetrating passes and was consistent with his advances, with his stunning header on 84 minutes proving the difference on a fairytale debut.
KEY MOMENTS
27th minute: Shows his strong aerial ability midway through the first half when diverting the danger from a curling Bolasie cross.
63rd minute: Liverpool come bounding down the right and win a free kick. The ball comes swinging into the penalty area and van Dijk rises unmarked to head straight at Jordan Pickford. A big opportunity missed by the Dutchman.
84th minute: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain swings a corner into the Everton box and van Dijk climbs highest to power a header past Pickford at the Kop end. What a magnificent goal on his debut.
VERDICT
Exactly what Liverpool need. Although he wasn’t tested defensively, van Dijk looks like the prized asset Jurgen Klopp’s side have been missing from their back four. Solid across the park, the Dutchman will be a commanding presence in the Reds quest to seal a Champions League berth.
All statistics are compiled using whoscored.com
