IMPERIOUS
Majestic Van Dijk helps Liverpool beat greatest foes to move closer to ultimate glory
MODERN football remains tribal enough for this to be considered the biggest victory of Liverpool’s season. A Premier League title triumph would have been missing a tiny detail had it not included a win over Manchester United and now they have it.
It was a harder-fought victory than we may have imagined and was not sealed until Mo Salah rendered late United pressure irrelevant with a thrilling breakaway goal in the last minute.
But it was deserved nonetheless. The 30-point gap in the league table between these teams does not flatter Liverpool and the way they scored their crucial goal said everything about their greatness.
Facing a corner in the third minute of added time, with United throwing all they had at the possibility of late salvation, Liverpool’s central defender Virgil van Dijk rose to clear the ball with a header. It was not the first time.
When the ball was returned into the arms of goalkeeper Alisson, his long clearance sent Salah clear towards the Kop.
Under admirable and persistent attention from the retreating United winger Daniel James, Salah held him off to score. Two-nil. Game over.
And this is the modern Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Imperious at both ends of the field.
They have not conceded a goal in the Premier League since December 4, a run of seven games. The last time they didn’t score in the league? Don’t even bother to check.
Sixteen points clear at the top of the table, the title will be theirs before long.
Yesterday the Kop allowed themselves to sing about it for the first time and who can blame them? A staggering 21 wins from 22 games affords you that kind of privilege.
Before this game, United were the only team in the league that Liverpool had not beaten — a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in October the only stain on an otherwise perfect record.
So Liverpool simply had to win here and when Van Dijk headed them into the lead in the 14th minute, it felt appropriate. For all the attacking thrills provided by Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, Van Dijk is arguably Liverpool’s most important and consistent player.
Here he was magnificent. Few defenders have played at Anfield with such confidence. Few have been so sure-footed on the floor or so assured and dominant in the air. As United came into the game in the final 20 minutes, Van Dijk was faultless. When he scored early in the game, it was with a similar sense of purpose.
United — playing with a threeman central defence that included Luke Shaw — had started the game well enough. But when Van Dijk ran off the shoulder of Brandon Williams, past Fred and rose above Harry Maguire to head Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner high into the net, that all felt rather unimportant.
Van Dijk did not even celebrate particularly wildly. This is a Liverpool team who expect to score, expect to win. What was strange was that they didn’t immediately add to that goal.
For the best part of 45 minutes after their opener, Liverpool were the better side by a street. A Roberto Firmino ‘goal’ was ruled out after VAR officials judged that
Van Dijk had fouled De Gea in the air. It was the correct decision, even though De Gea had been weak under pressure. Then Gini Wijnaldum also beat De Gea but was offside.
Add to that a save from De Gea from the breaking Mane and a shot wide of the near post by Firmino after service from Salah and Liverpool sat down at half-time knowing they should have been three goals to the good, at least.
Salah then missed from six yards — an absolute sitter — straight after the interval before Jordan Henderson smacked a post from the edge of the penalty area. United had enjoyed the odd moment in the first hour, more often than not due to the speed of James or Anthony Martial.
Nevertheless, they approached the last knockings of the contest knowing they were lucky to still be in touch and often this can do wonders for a team.
So it was here. Some had asked why Solskjaer had not started with Juan Mata in the team but that was the right call. The Spaniard would have drowned in the early fury.
As a late substitute, he was perfect and as United started to push, chances came for Martial
and Fred. Martial should have taken his — slapping a shot over the bar from 15 yards — and that felt like a big moment.
Solskjaer said afterwards that Liverpool had grown nervous. That was not true.
Overall, Liverpool were too quick, too clever and too cohesive. They are everything Solskjaer’s team are not and with more certainty in the United box that would have been measured in goals.
That means nothing this morning, however. Liverpool are another step closer to the ultimate glory and a score with their greatest foes has been settled. To repeat, these things still matter.