It’s easy to forget that players involved in such fierce rivalries can also be friends off the pitch, such as Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake.
The competition between Liverpool and Manchester City is as intense a top-two battle as there’s ever been, maybe not in terms of physicality but certainly on a pure footballing level.
Following the game at the Etihad Stadium we saw our No.4 chatting with both Pep Guardiola and Kevin De Bruyne, on two separate occasions, such is the relationship between them too.
With the two Dutchmen playing together for the national team and also in the same position, it’s fair to assume that the captain of Holland is somewhat of a mentor for the 27-year-old.
After all the blood and thunder that came with the dramatic 3-2 victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side, it’s nice to see the defensive duo having a moment to sit and chat about what had just occured.
Perhaps traditionalists won’t like it but this shows the tremendous amount of respect between the two sets of players.
You can watch the clip of van Dijk and Ake (at 14:28) via Liverpool’s YouTube channel: