Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has hailed Virgil van Dijk as a phenomenal player without any weaknesses following the Reds’ draw with Arsenal on Sunday.
Liverpool went ahead at the Emirates via James Milner in the second half, then Arsenal levelled with 10 minutes to go with a brilliant solo effort from Alexandre Lacazette which capped off a thrilling game in north London.
Murphy was particularly impressed with Van Dijk, whom the former England international claims was without weakness during a “pivotal” performance.
“He’s a phenomenal footballer. He’s turning into a really good leader. Look at this backline. It was pretty much perfect for most of the day,” Murphy said on Match of the Day.
“Van Dijk was pivotal in that. Leading them, talking to them and he gave a few rockets out today, which is important. You need someone to make sure you’re getting the best out of everyone. It’s his all round game.
“There doesn’t seem to be a weakness. You get every aspect of what you want from a centre-half. He very rarely gives the ball away. Sometimes he looks like he’s playing in a lower gear.”
Murphy added the defender has provided the Reds with the tools to earn points from games they would have lost in seasons gone by.
“Nobody outruns him. Lacazette and Aubameyang are a real handful. He must be a nightmare to play against. I thought Gomez alongside him was very good as well.
“When Liverpool don’t play as well they can do this, dig in and defend. Get a point when maybe in seasons gone by the didn’t have the tools to do that.
“But he looks so confident, every penny spent on him was worth it. He looks like the best centre-half in the Premier League at the moment.”
One weakness Van Dijk definitely showed on Saturday was his lack of composure in front of goal. On Saturday evening the Dutchman squandered an opportunity to score a hat-trick.
Van Dijk found himself one-on-one with Bernd Leno in the first half, but hit the ball straight at the German, shortly after that the defender managed to beat Leno in the air, but his header hit the upright. In the second half the 27-year-old held is head in hands again as his free header was directed straight at Leno’s gloves at the top centre of Arsenal’s goal.
The draw at the Emirates means Liverpool’s unbeaten run remains intact, but the Reds could drop to third-place in the Premier League if Chelsea and Manchester City win their games on Sunday.
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