Virgil van Dijk shows true colours after furious reaction in Liverpool draw to Aston Villa
Virgil van Dijk's passion and will to win was clear to see during Liverpool's thrilling draw with Aston Villa on Monday night.
Despite the Reds' Premier League title hopes being dashed last month, the captain's will to win was on full display. In a game of twists and turns at Villa Park, Jurgen Klopp's side broke the deadlock within the initial two minutes through an unfortunate own goal by Emiliano Martinez.
However, Villa didn't make it easy for the Reds, equalising soon after through Youri Tielemans. Despite Liverpool regaining their lead thanks to Cody Gakpo, Van Dijk exemplified their lack of complacency towards the end of the first half, when he erupted at right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold for giving up possession and failing to regain it.
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BBC Radio 5 Live observer and former Premier League forward Clinton Morrison said: "Trent Alexander-Arnold gives it away. You saw Virgil van Dijk's reaction. He was berating Trent Alexander-Arnold for giving the ball away and not getting back."
Ever since his transfer from Southampton in 2018, Van Dijk has been a driving force in Liverpool's defence. The match against Villa further highlighted his leadership qualities, even to a player as experienced and admired as Alexander-Arnold.
The Reds managed to secure a two-goal lead shortly after half-time, with Jarell Quansah finding the back of the net with a looping header. However, Villa's substitute Jhon Duran scored twice in the closing stages, resulting in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
The outcome would have been a bitter pill for Liverpool to swallow, especially considering their title hopes were dashed by losses to Crystal Palace and Everton in April before drawing with West Ham. With nothing left to play for but pride in Klopp's final match before his departure, Liverpool are set to finish third in the table regardless of the result against Wolves this Sunday.
Speaking to the BBC post-match, Klopp said: "It's really rare we play for nothing in the last two games. I count maybe two or three times. I'm not used to that. I'm not sure I'm great at it to be honest.
"I wanted us to show character. I don't lack motivation because of negative possibilities, we all know if they win today, 3-0 or 4-0, then everyone [would be] going for us. I saw a team with top character most importantly.
"For the character we showed today we should have five points but we got only one."