Virgil van Dijk stood tall in Liverpool’s 2-0 victory away to Sheffield United on Wednesday night, as Jurgen Klopp‘s men battled to another three points.
The Reds knew how vital a win was at Bramall Lane, following Arsenal‘s late triumph at Luton, and they got the job in solid fashion.
Van Dijk fired home the opener after a slow start, easing the nerves of the travelling fans, and Dominik Szoboszlai sealed the victory in stoppage time.
It means Liverpool are back to being two points behind early Premier League leaders Arsenal, as a fascinating title race unfolds amid Man City dropping points for a fourth game in a row.
Here we compare our player ratings with those of the Liverpool Echo, Goal, FotMob and This Is Anfield’s readers.
The highest score of the night went to Van Dijk (8.4), which was absolutely no surprise to anyone watching the game.
Not only did the Liverpool skipper open the scoring with an excellent finish, but he was also colossal defensively, winning everything in the air.
Van Dijk won 100 percent of his tackles and made nine defensive actions, according to FotMob, as TIA’s Henry Jackson called him the “best centre-back in Europe.”
Ian Doyle of the Echo felt that the Dutchman “marshalled the backline with a real captain’s showing” – he really is having a fantastic season.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (7.5) and Szoboszlai (7.5) were in joint-second place at Bramall Lane, with both putting in good showings.
The former was hailed by Peter McVitie of Goal, who said that he “whipped in an excellent cross and had a few more dangerous moments,” while the latter was “much better than of late,” according to Doyle.
Next up in the ratings was Wataru Endo (7.2), with the Japan captain strong in front of the defence, going about his business in unruffled fashion.
Jackson said that Liverpool’s summer signing’s “passing was crisp and he did what was asked of him,” as he continues to improve.
As for the Reds’ most disappointing performer in Sheffield, Mohamed Salah (5.7) and Cody Gakpo (5.7) shared the wooden spoon after ineffective evenings.
Up next for Liverpool is a trip to Crystal Palace for another Saturday lunchtime (12.30pm UK) kickoff, with victory taking them top of the Premier League, at least temporarily, ahead of Arsenal‘s meeting with third-placed Aston Villa later that same day.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
