Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk broke a Reds record set by predecessor Sami Hyypia during Wednesday’s 4-1 Premier League triumph over Luton Town at Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp’s team opened up a four-point advantage at the top of the table by dismantling the Hatters, who had initially gone ahead through Chiedozie Ogbene’s finish in the first half.
The Hatters clung onto their advantage for the remainder of the opening period, but with Klopp’s men attacking the Kop end during the second 45, Van Dijk sparked the opening of the floodgates.
The centre-back got Liverpool back on terms with a fine header from Alexis Mac Allister’s corner, marking his 18th Premier League goal for the Reds since the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
Twelve of those efforts have come on familiar territory, seeing Van Dijk score more Premier League goals for Liverpool at Anfield than any other defender in the club’s history.
The previous record holder was Finnish centre-back Hyypia, who spent 10 years on Merseyside from 1999 to 2009 and notched 11 top-flight goals at Anfield during his playing heyday.
Van Dijk had previously netted at Anfield this season in January’s 5-2 FA Cup thrashing of Norwich City, but Wednesday’s header marked his first Premier League home goal of the season and his second strike in the 2023-24 top flight overall.
The 32-year-old opened his account for the Premier League season away to Sheffield United in December, and his most recent Anfield top-flight goal came in a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in March 2023.
Following Van Dijk’s equaliser, another cross from Mac Allister did the damage just three minutes later, as Luton were caught unawares from a throw-in and fell behind as Cody Gakpo nodded in from the Argentine’s delivery.
Luis Diaz’s clinical finish and a fourth from Harvey Elliott rounded off a trademark come-from-behind victory for Klopp’s men, who have now accrued a league-high 22 points after falling behind in the current campaign.
Only in the 2008-09 season have the Reds taken more Premier League points when conceding the first goal, and Van Dijk was not the only member of Klopp’s crop to make history on Wednesday night.
Marking his 100th appearance for the club with a record-breaking effort, 20-year-old Elliott became the youngest Premier League player on record to score, have at least five shots, create at least five chances, make at least 25 passes into the final third and have at least 10 touches in the opposition penalty area in one match.
A collective first was also achieved by the Reds, who are now the first team in Europe’s top five leagues to have at least five players on double figures for goals in all tournaments after Diaz notched his 10th on Wednesday.
Mohamed Salah (19), Diogo Jota (14), Darwin Nunez (13) and Gakpo (11) welcome Diaz into the 10+ club, although Liverpool could be without their three top scorers for Sunday’s EFL Cup final with Chelsea.
Jota is definitely out as he recuperates from a knee injury, and Klopp offered no guarantees when asked about the fitness of Salah and Nunez after Wednesday’s triumph.
