Van Dijk Displays Classy Gesture During Liverpool’s Defeat to Crystal Palace
Arne Slot has revealed that Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk made a heartfelt gesture during the team’s 3-0 Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat to Crystal Palace.
Slot heavily rotated his squad from the 3-2 Premier League loss to Brentford, keeping only left-back Milos Kerkez in the starting lineup. His youthful side featured three teenagers — Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, and Kieran Morrison — with both Freddie Woodman and Morrison making their Liverpool debuts.
However, it was Palace who thrived in the torrential Merseyside rain, as Ismaila Sarr’s first-half double gave them a two-goal cushion at the break. Despite flashes of quality from Federico Chiesa, Liverpool managed just one shot on target from eight attempts, while the visitors hit the target eight times.
The night worsened for the Reds when 18-year-old defender Amara Nallo was sent off in the 79th minute for bringing down Justin Devenny on a clear goal-scoring chance. Remarkably, it was Nallo’s second red card in as many Liverpool appearances, both coming within a combined 16 minutes of play after he was also dismissed on his debut in last season’s Champions League group stage against PSV. Yeremy Pino then sealed a 3-0 win for Palace late on.
Understandably, Nallo was devastated, but Slot praised the leadership of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, who immediately stepped in to comfort the youngster.
“I didn’t need to say much to Nallo,” Slot said after the match. “Ibou and Virgil went straight to him to talk. That tells me they are great human beings.”
Liverpool will look to bounce back when they face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, before crucial fixtures against Real Madrid and Manchester City.
