Jamie Carragher hailed an ‘outstanding’ performance from Virgil van Dijk in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Saturday evening.
The two title contenders shared the spoils at Anfield, with centre-backs on either team standing out as the Sky Sports pundits named William Saliba man of the match.
The former Reds defender was keen to praise the man in the number 4 shirt as well, saying in commentary on the game (via Sky Sports live web commentary, 19:24): “Van Dijk’s been outstanding today. We’ve mentioned Saliba and rightly so, but these two have been the two best centre-backs in the Premier League this season.”
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Van Dijk has been a player reborn since the start of the season, and he was magnificent again today as Liverpool secured a point.
As per Sofascore, the Reds captain dominated his battles by winning seven out of nine duels, along with making three tackles and three interceptions, as well as completing four long balls and 72 of his 80 passes (90% success rate).
He also did a fine job in minimising the influence of Gabriel Jesus, with only one Arsenal starter having fewer touches than the Brazil forward’s 36 (Sofascore).
Along with the imperious Ibrahima Konate, Van Dijk came to the fore for his team on a night when Liverpool’s defence needed to be at their sharpest against the Premier League leaders.
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