Chris Sutton was critical of Virgil van Dijk as Liverpool recorded a 3-1 win over Burnley in the Premier League today.
The 50-year-old made the comments when speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live.
So, what did Chris Sutton say about Virgil van Dijk? Let’s take a look…
What Sutton said about Van Dijk
Well, the man from Nottingham believes the Netherlands international should have done a lot better with a chance in the 76th minute, critiquing his effort as a “tame” attempt at goal.
Sutton said: “Van Dijk should score. An absolute giant in there. It’s a tame header.”
Fortunately for the Dutchman, Darwin Nunez was there to score just three minutes later with a header of his own, which put Liverpool 3-1 ahead and ensured Jürgen Klopp could relax a bit going into the final ten minutes.
Goals from Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz had put Liverpool 2-1 up prior to the Uruguay international’s goal.
Interestingly, Trent Alexander-Arnold actually made a bit of history when setting up Jota’s goal.
The England international is now officially the most creative defender in the Premier League era with 58 assists to his name – leapfrogging Andy Robertson, who remains on 57.
How Van Dijk performed in Liverpool 3-1 Burnley
Putting his header aside for a moment, the 32-year-old was in superb form at Anfield earlier today.
Van Dijk was a colossus at the back, winning four aerial duels to keep Burnley’s forwards under control – as shown by WhoScored.
The Liverpool No.4 also completed 91.8% of his passes – the best total of any player to last the entire 90 minutes.
Eight of Van Dijk’s attempted 98 passes were long range balls, with six of those coming off successfully to help Liverpool escape Burnley’s press and start an attack.
Of course, the Dutchman could have done a little better with his “tame” header on James Trafford’s goal – as Sutton put it – although he surely won’t lose much sleep about that tonight as Liverpool return to the top of the Premier League.
