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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Charlotte Coates

Virgil van Dijk adds unexpected new dimension to Liverpool attack

Liverpool's signing of Virgil van Dijk was the most important to the club in recent history - him and Alisson Becker were the final pieces to Jurgen Klopp's trophy winning puzzle.

Of course, Van Dijk was brought to the club for his defensive prowess, but he offers such an attacking threat when Liverpool have a set piece.

Van Dijk's stature is one of the most impressive in football and marking him from a set piece isn't something anyone would relish.

Liverpool have scored the most goals from set pieces this season and Van Dijk added to that with his bullet header in the 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

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Van Dijk's opening goal on Sunday put him out in front for the top scoring Premier League defenders since he transferred to Liverpool in January 2018.

Another impressive statistic in regards to Van Dijk's 12 goals is that they have all come in Liverpool wins, so when the Dutch captain scores, the Reds win.

What is even more impressive is that Van Dijk missed almost a full season of football after undergoing ACL surgery in October 2020, but he still leads the way in terms of goals scored.

Everyone knows the importance of being a threat from set pieces, especially in games where opportunities are few and far between.

The Dutchman has slotted back into the Liverpool side seamlessly after his serious knee injury and has been a key part of the Reds being in with a serious chance of winning all four trophies.

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