Van Dijk’s the Rolls Royce of Anfield

THE greeting that met the announcement of Virgil van Dijk’s name before kick-off spoke volumes about the suffering Liverpool fans have endured for so long.

It was the sort of primal roar that is usually reserved for the attacking heroes.

And it didn’t take Van Dijk long to announce himself properly to the Liverpool crowd either. Barely seven minutes had gone when he snapped into a ferocious tackle on Yannick Bolasie.

That, more than any amount of confident touches, deft passes and gliding interceptions, is what it takes to win over a set of supporters as a centre half.

The blood-curdling, teeth-rattling greeting that the proper defenders of the past specialised in.

The Dutch defender slipped calmly alongside Joel Matip to suggest a long-term partnership in the making. There was one fraught moment early in the second half when he inadvertently headed the ball from the hands of his own keeper, but the Dutchman had a comfortable ride for the large part, even in the heat of this derby.

It helps of course that players are no longer allowed to show the fire and fury of derbies past – evident when Wayne Rooney (above) was withdrawn in the second half for fear of a second booking.

It would have helped even more had he converted a glorious chance midway through the second period, when he headed too close to Jordan Pickford.

But this Rolls Royce of a defender sure made amends late on, heading the winner from a corner, at the Kop end to cap a debut to remember for a man who looks destined to become a Reds idol.