LIVERPOOL (AFP) - Virgil van Dijk returns to his former club Southampton on Friday (April 5) with a growing reputation as one of the most influential figures in the Premier League title race between his Liverpool side and Manchester City.
For all their attacking threat, Jurgen Klopp's men owe a huge debt to their Dutch defender, signed from Southampton 15 months ago for an eye-watering £75 million (S$134 million) fee, the size of which raised eyebrows.
But now the investment looks one of the wisest in recent Premier League history, with one Van Dijk moment in particular, during the weekend win over Tottenham, being held up as an example of his peerless form.
With the game finely poised at 1-1 at Anfield on Sunday, Tottenham had a two-on-one break, featuring Moussa Sissoko and Son Heung-min against the Liverpool centre-half.
Van Dijk took the decision to leave Sissoko with the ball, forcing him into a shot that the nervous Tottenham man missed hopelessly, paving the way for Liverpool to snatch a dramatic last-gasp winner.
"Of course," said teammate Andy Robertson when asked if that one moment showcased Van Dijk's skills to their utmost.
"He made the right decision there. Look, it's getting to the point of the season where both teams wanted to win it. If it's maybe in the first month of the season, it probably sees out as a 1-1 draw.
"But they're fighting for Champions League spots and they needed three points and we needed three points. That's why we brought on extra attackers and we went for it and tried to get the three points and luckily we did.
"But these situations are going to happen. We're maybe going to get a wee bit exposed at the back but there's nobody better to deal with it. Luckily we got away with one there and they've not got away with it."
Robertson was not the only admirer following the Dutchman's role in that victory and, with every passing week, the case for Van Dijk to be named as the Premier League's player of the year is gaining momentum.
Liverpool's protracted bid to sign the defender from Southampton, which had been thwarted the previous summer, was met with disbelief by many as he became the most expensive defender in the history of the game.
But his displays last season, in helping Liverpool reach the Champions League final, answered many of the doubters and Van Dijk's form has, if anything, been even more impressive this season.
Manchester City's Raheem Sterling is another strong candidate for the end-of-season individual awards but Van Dijk has made a strong case and the only slight concern for Klopp after the Tottenham victory was the sight of his key defender using an ice pack on a muscle injury after the game.
However, concerns he could be a fitness doubt for the return to his old club were quickly dispelled when Liverpool showed footage of the 27-year-old taking part in a full training session on Wednesday.
"He's so important to us not only as a player but as a person. I couldn't say a bad word about him even if I wanted," said Klopp.
"Yes he has improved us and he has improved since he came here as well. He is a different player to when he was at Southampton. Champions League quarter-finals, semi-finals and final help you as a player."
European football governing body UEFA said Friday that the correct anti-racism protocol had not been followed during the Italian league game between Inter Milan and Napoli midweek amid repeated abuse of Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly. Napoli's French-born Koulibaly was targeted by monkey
UEFA says anti-racism protocol not followed in Koulibaly case
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Liverpool laying groundwork for sustained success, says Klopp Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool 's Premier League rivals that the leaders are laying the foundations for long-term success. Klopp's side sit four points clear at the top as they chase Liverpool 's first English title since 1990.
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Man Utd latest financial results: 6 things you might have missed as Ed Woodward faced investors. The share price is rising, the App remains No.1 and "entertainment centres" in China are very much
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Billing, 22, received online racial abuse late on Tuesday from someone claiming to be one of the Yorkshire club's fans. "We're aware of the racist message sent to Philip Billing over social media on Tuesday evening and have subsequently referred the case to West Yorkshire Police," said a Huddersfield statement issued Wednesday.
Football: Huddersfield condemn racist abuse of midfielder
Football: Tampines Rovers sneak past Yangon United 4-3 to top AFC Cup Group F SINGAPORE - Tampines Rovers needed a three-goal salvo in the dying minutes in their last AFC Cup Group F match against Cambodia's Nagaworld FC to secure a 4-2 victory.
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Man City's De Bruyne upbeat as he bids to put injuries behind him The Belgium international, who has been limited to just 96 minutes of league football so far this season, started the midweek
Man City's De Bruyne Upbeat as He Bids to Put Injuries Behind Him
Yorke was born on 7 October 1968 in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. He was born with a paralysed left eye, and underwent five eye operations by age six. According to Yorke, the last surgery was "botched", giving him a drooping eyelid. His family moved frequently.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 31, 2018, with the headline 'Spurs paid the price for complacency: Pochettino'. Print Edition | Subscribe
Spurs paid the price for complacency: Pochettino
Bournemouth (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Nine-man Tottenham Hotspur's bid for Champions League football was rocked on Saturday after Nathan Ake's last-gasp winner punished red cards for Son Heung-min and Juan Foyth and condemned Spurs to a 1-0 Premier League defeat at Bournemouth.
Aston Villa will play Leeds or Derby in the Championship play-off final on 27 May. Aston Villa beat West Bromwich Albion in a penalty shootout to reach the Championship play-off final for the
Jun 07, 2019 · The term is code for government support for home-grown corporate powerhouses as a way to give them an edge over outside competitors and create jobs, drive exports and fuel economic growth.
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