Virgil van Dijk’s longstanding run of not being dribbled past was finally ended on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool lost on penalties to Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley, following an entertaining 1-1 draw.
Van Dijk was in typically reliable form for the Reds, marshalling the troops and keeping City’s attack quiet as the game progressed.
Come the final whistle, however, almost unbridled levels of hysteria were on show on social media.
That’s because for the first time in 65 matches, dating all the way back to March 2018, Van Dijk was dribbled past.
Twitter: 65 – During the Community Shield final, Virgil van Dijk was dribbled past for the first time in his last 65 competi… https://t.co/vWIb7mgO93 (@OptaJoe)
Gabriel Jesus was the man who achieved that feat, although the easily forgettable moment hardly showed up Liverpool’s defensive rock in the slightest.
The way in which rival supporters have reacted to Van Dijk’s incredible run ending has only proved how good he is, and how much the Dutchman has got under their skin.
All that their bizarre bragging is doing is highlighting how freakish the statistic was, and why the 28-year-old is the world’s best defender currently.
Success and adulation both breed hatred from rival fans – Van Dijk has seen both come his way in a Liverpool shirt, so this reaction is no surprise.
If he wasn’t such a remarkable talent, and if his recent level didn’t aggravate so many, we would never have even heard all about this statistic in the first place.
