Sad News to Alexis Mac Allister as he was asked to leave Anfield today end deal klopp angry 

Sad News to Alexis Mac Allister as he was asked to leave Anfield today end deal klopp angry

Sad News to Alexis Mac Allister as he was asked to leave Anfield today end deal klopp angry

Mohamed Salah told to ‘have a word’ with Luis Diaz after bizarre Liverpool claim
Garth Crooks have given his verdict on Liverpool’s win over Everton with some interesting Merseyside derby conclusions

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ByKeifer MacDonaldNorth West Trends Writer
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Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah during a Liverpool training session

Mohamed Salah has bizarrely been urged to have a word with team-mate Luis Diaz after the Colombian was slammed for his “antics” in the 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday.

Salah scored his sixth and seventh Premier League goals of the season as Liverpool secured victory in the 243rd Merseyside derby.

The Reds initially struggled to break down a resolute Everton side, who had been reduced to 10 men at Anfield when Ashley Young was shown a second yellow card in the 37th minute.

Eventually, 15 minutes from time, Jurgen Klopp’s side were awarded a penalty when Diaz’s cross struck the hand of Michael Keane, which led referee Craig Pawson to review the incident on the pitchside monitor before pointing to the spot. Salah dispatched his kick with ease before slotting a second strike past Jordan Pickford in added time.

READ MORE: Virgil van Dijk brings in new Liverpool squad rule in first major change as captain

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Writing in his BBC Sport Team of the Week column, Garth Crooks hailed Salah’s performance over the weekend – labelling the Egyptian as “brilliant” and “unselfish”.

The former First Division forward has called on the Egyptian to ensure Diaz erases any perceived “antics” from his game after falling to the ground after a collision with Nathan Patterson in the second half.

At 0-0, the Colombian took the ball to the byline before cutting back inside, where he appeared to be clipped by a trailing knee of the Everton defender. However, Crooks was not convinced.

“Referee Craig Pawson’s inability to show some discretion in the Merseyside derby exposed him once he failed to exercise any consistency,” wrote Crooks. “Neither was it helped by Luiz Diaz who rolled over at least five times for dramatic effect after Young had fouled him.

“Meanwhile Mo Salah is back to his brilliant, unselfish and supportive best and has erased the sort of antics now [affecting] Luiz Diaz. It’s time Salah had a word with Diaz.”

Salah wasn’t the only Liverpool player to be named in Crooks’ renowned Team of the Week, with Virgil van Dijk also making the cut after his imperious display against the Blues.

“Was Everton’s Ashley Young’ sending off for a second bookable offence really necessary? If it was then Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate had to go,” added Crooks. “Young’s tackle was a genuine one to try and win the ball. Konate’s challenge on Beto was cynical and crude and what the yellow card was designed for but the Liverpool defender didn’t receive one for the challenge in question.

“Fortunately for Liverpool they have Virgil Van Dijk in defence who is slowly coming back to some kind of form.”

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Virgil van Dijk brings in new Liverpool squad rule in first major change as captain
The Liverpool captain has made a change to the team’s pre-match routine and is back to his

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ByPaul GorstLiverpool FC correspondent
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Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool after the win over Everton (Image: Daniel Chesterton/Offside)

Dominic Calvert-Lewin wouldn’t have known it at the time, but his Merseyside derby battle with Virgil van Dijk peaked after just 36 seconds at Anfield on Saturday.

The Everton striker’s early header, from Dwight NcNeil’s cross, was held by Alisson Becker and that was about as close as he would get to breaching the rearguard of Jurgen Klopp’s side.

And while Sean Dyche might bemoan the sending-off of Ashley Young or the failure to show Ibrahima Konate the same fate in the second half as reasons for why his team were unable to really lay a glove on their hosts, a lot of it was down to the performance of the excellent Van Dijk.

The Liverpool captain might have only been the official skipper since the summer but this was his 50th appearance with the armband and he played like a man who was determined to make his mark on the 243rd meeting between the local rivals.

The first half, in particular – when it remained 11-versus-11 – was characterised by Van Dijk overpowering the usually aerially dominant Calvert-Lewin. Whereas Liverpool’s second centre-half is usually targeted by opposition frontmen in an effort to steer clear of individual tussles with the Reds skipper, Calvert-Lewin found himself up against Van Dijk a number of times in the first half, with little success.

READ MORE: What happened in Liverpool tunnel as celebrations continued after Everton win

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The No.4 won 12 of his 17 duels on the day – 10 in the air – and made as many as five clearances. One particular piece of play in the second half drew gasps as he brought down a long ball on his chest before passing it to a team-mate when most defenders would have opted for the simple headed clearance.

The sending-off at Newcastle aside, it’s been a strong start to the campaign for Van Dijk, who has had to listen to exaggerated claims around his form for too long now, particularly in his homeland where a slew of outspoken pundits and former players have attempted to tear down the Netherlands captain.

Jamie Carragher dedicated his Friday Telegraph column to the Reds defender, writing: “Many argue Van Dijk has not been the same since he suffered a serious knee injury in the Merseyside derby in October, 2020. That is an historical rewrite.

“He was brilliant in 2021-22 when two wins from a quadruple. Even the contentious recent loss to Spurs was only Van Dijk’s third defeat in his last 21 league games.

“Long-term, the knee operation (in 2020) probably did take a toll, but the recent negative appraisals are based on how good Van Dijk has been. This is a player who was unlucky to finish runner-up to Lionel Messi in the Ballon d’Or voting in 2019 – a rare accolade for a centre-back.”

As part of the new-look ‘Liverpool 2.0’ – to coin a Jurgen Klopp phrase – Van Dijk is now the official leader of men, with a method of captaining that is very different to the style Jordan Henderson preferred for the last eight years.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold installed as vice-captain, there’s a general feeling within the Liverpool camp now that a different leadership group will operate in contrast to the demanding approach chosen by Henderson and James Milner prior to their summer departures.

If Van Dijk’s exudes a quiet calm compared to the more vocal Henderson when it comes to being club captain, he, alongside Alexander-Arnold, leads more by example and he is hugely respected by his colleagues.

“This club has had some incredible captains over the years, leaders who would bring the best out of themselves and their team time and time again,” Van Dijk says. “So to be on the list with people like that is definitely not the kind of thing that I would have expected when I started playing.

“But the most important thing for me is that I am part of a team of leaders, individually, who find their own way to take responsibility no matter who is wearing the armband.”

One of the things the new skipper has chosen to do in his new role is to introduce a team huddle before kick-off now which aims to give the players a few final words of inspiration before the games get underway.

“It was something that we did when I was a Celtic player,” Van Dijk adds. “And I always liked it because I thought it set the tone for the game and it also gave the crowd a signal that we were ready to go.

“It can also help the atmosphere with it being so close to the match starting, so if our fans want to join in by building up the noise and adding to the sense of anticipation I certainly won’t complain, even if it makes it difficult for me to make myself heard.”

The attempts to push a narrative of the 32-year-old being past his best after that career threatening knee injury three years ago has bordered on the desperate at times but an in-form and fit Van Dijk will still be imperative for Liverpool to enjoy real, tangible success this term. His early-season form more than is encouraging.

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