Frank Lampard has admitted his ‘love’ for Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, but claimed that he should’ve been sent off today.
Everton held the unpredictable Reds to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park in an eventful Merseyside derby despite the scoreline.
Liverpool hit the post on three occasions – including once in the dying seconds – and Roberto Firmino forced Jordan Pickford into a number of excellent saves.
According to Lampard though, Jurgen Klopp’s outfit were fortunate to finish the game with 10 men.
Amadou Onana was spotted in agony toward the end of the contest following a challenge by Van Dijk, who received a booking.
And the Everton manager feels that the Liverpool powerhouse could and should’ve been sent off.
He said via The Echo after the game: “I love Virgil van Dijk. As a player he is fantastic. Sometimes you mistime tackles and they look bad, or they are bad, or they potentially are bad.
“If you look at the moment he connects with Amadou up on his shin and Amadou’s foot is on the ground then I am surprised it hasn’t gone to VAR and the referee hasn’t gone to look at it and make what I think was the correct decision…
“For me, it was a red card and of course that changes the face of the last 20 minutes or whatever.”
Van dijk tackle
It did look a nasty one on Onana, in fairness to Lampard.
The Liverpool defender certainly isn’t known to be a nasty player in the slightest and although it won’t change Lampard’s opinion, it may perhaps add context.
The truth is, the Toffees had the best chance of the afternoon and spurned it when Neal Maupay couldn’t beat Alisson from close range.
Everton certainly rode their luck at times but, by the same token, they had chances to win the game too and talking about the Van Dijk challenge shouldn’t overlook the hosts’ failure in the final third.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
