Gary Neville singled out Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk as the player to blame for the first goal scored by Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka in today’s big Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.
Saka finished superbly for the Gunners after turning Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson inside out, but Neville felt it was Van Dijk who should also have got back there to support his teammate.
Van Dijk ended up equalising for Liverpool not long after the Saka goal, though Mikel Merino ended up heading Arsenal back in front later on.
Both goals were well worked by Mikel Arteta’s side, with Saka’s moment of quality making for a great start to the game, while another superbly-worked set piece by the north London giants made it 2-1 not long before half time, setting up an exciting second half ahead of us.
Still, could Van Dijk be a bit of a weakness in this Liverpool defence at the moment? Neville was perhaps a bit harsh on the Dutchman, but suggested it was more him than Robertson to blame for that opening goal by Saka.
Gary Neville on Virgil van Dijk failing to get back for Bukayo Saka’s goal
Speaking during commentary for Sky Sports, as quoted by the Daily Mirror, Neville said: “It is so, so good. There was a nutmeg and then the finish…emphatic. But I would have expected my left-sided centre-half (Van Dijk) to get there.”
Neville was of course a top defender for much of his career at Manchester United, playing both right-back and centre-back, so he’s someone who can offer a lot of insight into these positions.
Van Dijk has been one of the finest in the world in his position for a long time, so it’s perhaps fair to expect the very highest standards from him, and perhaps this was one of those situations when someone of his calibre could’ve done more to prevent the goal.