VIRGIL VAN STRIKE!
IT’S A DREAM DEBUT FOR DEFENDER
SMART move, playing him. There were those who thought Jurgen Klopp had erred, plunging Virgil van Dijk into the derby for his debut.
Certainly, when he missed a free header in front of the Kop, four minutes before Everton equalised. It could ruin a man’s confidence, that. Fortunately, Van Dijk is made of stronger stuff. That’s what you pay £75million for.
So when, with five minutes to go, Liverpool won a corner on the left, up went Van Dijk again. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain struck an inswinger and there was Liverpool’s instant hero, rising with goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, getting their first, winning the game against Liverpool’s rivals.
Julian Dicks was the last Liverpool player to be given a debut in the derby, in 1993, but he didn’t come with the weight of expectation that accompanies a £75m fee. Opinion was divided on whether throwing Van Dijk in was the smart move, but the player was certainly up for it, and did his defensive duties well, too.
He’s not really there to score goals, but should have scored two, had Oxlade-Chamberlain’s freekick after 63 minutes set up his first. Instead, that time, Van Dijk gave Pickford little to do, and could then do nothing as Everton broke to get back in the game.
Sam Allardyce drew here earlier in the season and Everton’s goal was another magnificent piece of counter-attacking, started by Yannick Bolasie on the left, feeding substitute Ademola Lookman — on for Wayne Rooney, wisely removed before he picked up a second yellow card — who played the ball in to Phil Jagielka. Quite what Everton’s centre half was doing sprinting upfield on the counter, who knows, but it worked and he picked out Gylfi Sigurdsson arriving late.
The £50m lavished on Sigurdsson has not been regarded as money well spent so far, but this could have been a turning point had Everton held on for the replay. His finish, low and precise, left goalkeeper Loris Karius with no chance and delighted the Blue contingent behind the goal. Van Dijk could only look on and wait for his moment to come.
Bobby Madley didn’t have the best holiday season, and nor did many of the teams he refereed, and there will be those saying he fell for one again here with Liverpool’s opening goal, a penalty.
He didn’t, it was a foul — but it’s also fair to say Adam Lallana’s fall was unnecessary and exaggerated. The whole incident could be recast as a riddle. When is a dive not a dive? When it’s a foul anyway.
Without doubt Mason Holgate put his arms around Lallana to limit his movement, although it was hardly a vicelike grip.
Lallana responded by collapsing to the floor as if manhandled. Put it like this, if such contact was enough to fell a human being the ballrooms of Britain would be lousy with prone dancers.
So a penalty but one that left a slightly nasty taste, although James Milner was entirely unaffected, clipping his kick down the middle, cool as you like. There were, however, further ramifications from Everton’s point of view.
Holgate was clearly still fuming five minutes later, when he chased Roberto Firmino out towards the near touchline — and he was lucky not to be sent off a result.
Firmino got their first, shepherding the ball off, but as he slowed to avoid sprinting into the hoardings, he felt a double-handed push on his back that propelled him off the pitch and into the crowd.
It was a stupid, irresponsible act from Holgate, one that could have caused injury were it not for pure good fortune.
Understandably, Firmino was seething and chased back on to the pitch, seeking confrontation. An unsightly melee ensued, with claims on all sides. We’re back in the realms of lip-reading, unfortunately. But Holgate was incensed by whatever Firmino said. The Everton bench seem to believe Firmino spat, although there is scant evidence of that, either.
To complicate matters, during it all Holgate pulled Madley back by the shoulders to get his attention.
So, a booking for the foul, another for the contact with an official, totalling red? No. Madley — one of the poorest of the Premier League officials — ducked it.
Not so much as one card was shown, not even for the push that endangered an opponent. Jon Moss, the fourth official, even got involved, although whether this was to assist Madley or question his eyesight, who can say.
Maybe he was just reporting the
spitting allegation. The best that can be said is that we haven’t heard the last of it.
Anyway, back to the football. Did Liverpool deserve their lead? Yes. It wasn’t the best game in terms of goalmouth action but, what there was in the first half, came in red.
It took 26 minutes for Liverpool to forge their first chance, a cross by Joe Gomez met on the volley by Milner, flat and wide.
Soon after, Sadio Mane tried a shot from outside the area, high and wide. Everton did not get one on target in that period, unless one counts the foul by Wayne Rooney on Gomez, that mercilessly hit the spot. Even Madley couldn’t miss that one.