108 touches, 9 duels won: ‘Exceptional’ Liverpool star just answered every single critic

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Virgil van Dijk answered his critics against Bournemouth as Liverpool won 9-0. The Dutchman put in a dominant display.

Virgil van Dijk earned some criticism for his display against Manchester United. In particular, it was his inaction for Jadon Sancho’s opener that caught the eye. Liverpool’s star defender wasn’t aggressive enough to close things down and that had people talking.

And so the Dutchman had eyes on him this weekend. Liverpool keep conceding goals and Van Dijk is the defensive leader. Fortunately, the Reds answered any questions of a crisis.

The 9-0 win will be remembered for a long time to come and just about every player put in a wonderful individual display. Van Dijk was amongst those, of course, as he scored Liverpool’s fifth right before half-time.

It was a fantastic header from an Andy Robertson corner – exactly what you’d expect from a Van Dijk goal.

But his performance went further than just the goal. The no.4 was dominant against Bournemouth, limiting them to just five shots and two on target. Van Dijk blocked one of those five, too.

Virgil van Dijk answers his critics

Bournemouth couldn’t really find a way past Van Dijk. He won nine duels in this one, thanks to eight headers and a tackle. That one on the deck was the only tackle he had to make, too, as the Cherries steered clear.

With the ball, Van Dijk was wonderful. Only Trent Alexander-Arnold had more than his 108 touches (122) and the centre-back completed more passes than anyone (88). He did that at a 90% success rate, too.

We even saw a dribble, an interception and a clearance from Van Dijk. This was as accomplished a performance as you’ll see.

Of course, it’ll take more than a dominant win against Bournemouth to convince most that Van Dijk is back to his best. But there’s little question that he did absolutely everything he could have been expected to do here – and more.