Virgil van Dijk brings in new Liverpool squad rule in first major change as captain
Dominic Calvert-Lewin wouldn’t have known it at the time, but his Merseyside derby battle with Virgil van Dijk peaked after just 36 seconds at Anfield on Saturday.
The Everton striker’s early header, from Dwight NcNeil’s cross, was held by Alisson Becker and that was about as close as he would get to breaching the rearguard of Jurgen Klopp’s side.
And while Sean Dyche might bemoan the sending-off of Ashley Young or the failure to show Ibrahima Konate the same fate in the second half as reasons for why his team were unable to really lay a glove on their hosts, a lot of it was down to the performance of the excellent Van Dijk
The Liverpool captain might have only been the official skipper since the summer but this was his 50th appearance with the armband and he played like a man who was determined to make his mark on the 243rd meeting between the local rivals.
‘We are lacking’ – Alisson Becker makes Liverpool admission and points to transfer change
Alisson Becker admits Liverpool have plenty of room for improvement in their rebuilding programme as he detailed the change in approach under Jurgen Klopp this season.
The new-look Reds maintained their strong start to the campaign with a 2-0 win over neighbours Everton on Saturday that kept them just three points off early Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place.
Six regulars from the Liverpool squad that previously swept the honours board under Klopp departed in the summer with Liverpool splashing out more than £150million on four new midfielders, three of which started in the engine room at the weekend.
While no goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets in the Premier League this calendar year than Alisson Saturday was only a second this season with only five shut-outs in the last 18 top-flight games despite Liverpool losing only once during that period.
