Moments you may not have spotted during Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa on Sunday
Liverpool continued their encouraging start to the new Premier League campaign with an impressive win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
Dominic Szoboszlai’s screamer and a Matty Cash own goal put the Reds in control by half-time before Mohamed Salah sealed a 3-0 victory against the Midlanders.
The result means Jurgen Klopp’s men have extended their unbeaten league run to 15 games after a strong end to last season.
But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at Anfield.
Aston Villa were strangely compliant for much of the game, such was Liverpool’s stranglehold on proceedings. And it wasn’t until the closing moments that there was a bit of fire shown from the visitors.
That came from substitute Jhon Duran who, having early shown a propensity to shoot on sight from the most improbable of angles and distances, gave Joe Gomez a shove as the defender ushered the ball out of play for a goal kick.
Gomez took exception and got back up to his feet to face up to the Villa man, who in turn gave the Reds player the eyeballs before sheepishly wandering away. You tell him, Joe.
Van Dijk laughs it off
Gomez was starting on the left side of defence with Virgil van Dijk being absent through suspension. But that didn’t stop the captain from strolling past journalists in the post-match mixed zone inside Anfield.
Van Dijk has been a regular interviewee in that environment over the past 12 months, but afforded himself a chuckle when told by one of the assembled hacks that he wouldn’t have to take time out for a chat on this occasion.
“That wasn’t my decision, though!” responded the jocular Dutchman.
Television gatecrasher
Mind you, that didn’t stop another member of the Van Dijk family making an appearance on television after the match. The Dutchman’s seven-year-old daughter Jadi, with assistance from Gomez’s son Kyrie, gatecrashed a live broadcast on LFC TV.
With host Mark Benstead as unflappable as ever, former Liverpool duo David James and Ronnie Whelan attempted to bring the young duo into the post-game analysis.
Van Dijk, meanwhile, was spotted some distance away on the pitch just watching the whole thing pan out with a smile on his face.
Ryan mighty
