We all know just how reliable Virgil van Dijk is on the ball. That’s especially important against a side like Brentford who pressed very aggressively against Liverpool in the first half of action on Sunday afternoon.
The 32-touch Dutch centre-half notably didn’t misplace a single pass (from 28 played) in the opening 45 at Anfield, making him the only Red with a 100% pass success rate alongside Luis Diaz.
The Colombian international opened the scoring against the Bees with a thumping, left-footed opener past Mark Flekken on a break.
Follow Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
Principal owner John W Henry was spotted entering the ground prior to the meeting between Arne Slot and Thomas Frank’s men.
READ MORE: Quansah back but Slot confirms fresh Liverpool injury issue before Brentford tie
READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano echoes Richard Hughes point with early afternoon Liverpool transfer claim
How have Virgil van Dijk’s teammates performed vs Brentford?
Our electric No.7 has been the standout performer at L4, at least according to stats gathered by Sofascore.
The former FC Porto man scored from an xG of 0.51, registered one key pass and won 4/7 ground duels contested on the pitch.
A very strong showing, it has to be said, from Diaz amid a summer window defined by questions over his long-term future at the club – not to mention over the signing of a potential successor.
On the basis of his first two performances under Arne Slot, we’d be very much inclined to keep the left-sided wide man at Liverpool for the foreseeable.
EOTK Close-up with John Welsh: ‘a local lad who lived his dream’ and Slot’s LFC predictions