Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has disclosed how he was able to find his way past Ghana international, Thomas Partey to score in their 2-2 draw to Arsenal.
The center-back hinted that Partey lost a bit of concentration while marking him before the resulting corner kick from which he scored.
The 33-year-old said Partey was more interested in looking at him instead of marking him or looking at the ball.
“I think they’re very solid in set pieces and they have shown it. I think obviously when I was marked by Partey, I think he only looked at me, so it was quite easy to get away from him.
“But anyway, it’s a bit of luck that you need, a little flick from Lucho [Luis Diaz], and I was there to tap it in,” the Dutchman said in a post-match interview.
Despite the lapse in concentration, was instrumental and the Gunners’ highest-rated defender in the game.
The 31-year-old won four of the five aerial duels he contested and nine out of 16 ground duels.
He had 79 touches of the ball and completed 39 out of the 45 passes he attempted, a success rate of 87 percent.
Tough battle ends in draw
Arsenal took the lead barely 10 minutes into the game when Bukayo Saka rounded Andrew Robertson and fired a superb strike to open the scoring in the ninth minute.
Liverpool responded exactly nine minutes later from a corner kick when home van Dijk pounced on a flicked header from Luis Diaz.
Mikel Merino scored his first Arsenal goal to give the home side the lead before Mohammed Salah spoilt the early party by finishing off a Darwin Nunez assist in the 81st minute.
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