SUMMARY
- Liverpool faced Arsenal in a crucial Premier League match that ended in a 1-1 draw.
- The video of Virgil van Dijk's confrontation with the referee sparked reactions from soccer fans, with some expressing disapproval of his behavior.
Virgil van Dijk grabbed the front pages of the newspapers yesterday after Liverpool faced Arsenal in the Premier League. Heading into the top-of-the-table clash, Liverpool trailed Arsenal by one point. In what was a thrilling encounter, the match ended 1-1. However, Liverpool skipper Virgil Van Dijk’s viral interaction with the referee has gone viral on the Internet.
Arsenal managed to grab the early goal in the fourth minute against Liverpool through Gabriel, who scored a thumping header past Alison. Liverpool’s prolific scorer Mohamed Salah cancelled Arsenal’s lead in the 29th minute with a sumptuous finish. Despite chances for both sides, including a golden opportunity for Liverpool, both teams shared the points after 90 minutes.
Look at the ref pic.twitter.com/cEvQDrU2RP
— Sharon (@Amy_turtles) December 23, 2023
Yesterday’s match was a feisty encounter, with Arsenal conceding 14 fouls and Liverpool 13. During the second half, however, Virgil van Dijk was particularly frustrated with the referee Chris Kavanagh. Kavanagh gave a foul against Van Dijk after the latter tackled Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus. Exasperated with the decision, Van Dijk was spotted screaming at Kavanagh, “Have you been drinking?“
The incident, however, hasn’t gone down well with the soccer fans. Several fans reacted to the clip and questioned whether Van Dijk should have been penalized. One fan even wrote, “He should be banned for that.” Currently, Van Dijk is yet to be officially penalized by the Football Association (FA).
Virgil van Dijk’s incident brings to light Darwin Nunez mocking the referee from a week ago
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk’s viral incident was similar to another Liverpool star just a week ago. During Liverpool’s derby against Manchester United, Darwin Nunez caught the eye of the storm after he mocked the referee. Nunez, who tackled United‘s Johhny Evans, was penalized by the referee. Out of frustration, the Uruguayan kicked the ball away and sarcastically clapped at the referee.
Darwin Nunez:
• Fouls opponent.
• Kicks the ball away.
• Sarcastically disagrees with decision.
• Single yellow card.Diogo Dalot:
• Referee makes wrong decision.
• Doesn’t kick the ball away.
• Reacts angrily.
• Booked twice then sent off.pic.twitter.com/l3Mak0Huag— 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥. 🔱🇾🇪 (@UTDEriksen) December 17, 2023
Similar to Van Dijk, Darwin Nunez escaped being punished by the referee. Moreover, he wasn’t even shown a yellow card by the referee. In addition to this, Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot was sent off by the referee for showing dissent against a decision in the same match. Lastly, the fans expressed their disappointment at the decline in the standard of refereeing in the Premier League recently.