A Liverpool fan’s video went viral after the Reds 2-1 win v Tottenham Hotspur. The footage showed Virgil van Dijk’s cheeky time-wasting after the Spurs own goal.
Things were tense at Anfield. Liverpool needed a win – failure to get one would put Manchester City in a dominant position.
Roberto Firmino’s first-half header had Liverpool in control but things changed after the break. Spurs were now a real threat and they eventually equalised through Lucas Moura.
But as the game pushed towards stoppage time, a mix up between Hugo Lloris and Toby Alderweireld gifted Liverpool the win.
Everyone associated with Liverpool met the Belgian’s own goal with delirium but one man stayed focused.
Conscious of the time left, Van Dijk’s thoughts turned to making sure that Spurs weren’t restarting the game quickly with a cheeky bit of time-wasting. His method? Booting the ball out of the stadium.
And one fan caught the moment on camera:
https://twitter.com/Riddock__/status/1112440816742682629
Van Dijk, now wearing the captain’s armband, bought Liverpool some extra time to compose themselves. Did it make a world of difference? Who knows – but it certainly made the fans smile.
The post picked up over 20k likes overnight as Reds fans appreciated the stand-in skipper’s quick thinking.
It came 10 minutes after Van Dijk made a more obvious impact on the game. Stuck in a two-on-one situation, the Dutchman took control of things, forcing Moussa Sissoko into a difficult shot.
The shot flew over the bar and it proved vital in the end as Liverpool went on to win.
All things considered, Van Dijk endeared himself even further to Reds fans on Sunday afternoon.
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