The new £75m central defender had a comfortable bow in the FA Cup third-round win over Everton at Anfield and even managed to score the late winner
A sledgehammer to crack a nut was the expression that came to mind as Liverpool’s new £75m defender made his debut against a side with only one goal in their last four games and no shots on target in either of their last two home matches. Everton supporters were clinging to the slender hope that Jürgen Klopp might have taken a risk in throwing Virgil van Dijk straight into the heat of a Merseyside derby.
There were few worries on that score, even before the centre-half scored the winning goal five minutes from the end. Joël Matip and Van Dijk had only Dominic Calvert-Lewin to look after between them and the latter towered over the Everton centre-forward in every sense, invariably getting to the ball first whether in the air or on the ground. The former Southampton player even found time to launch a few attacks in the first half, sometimes carrying the ball to the halfway line, sometimes sending out 50-yard passes in search of team-mates further forward.
Related: Virgil van Dijk crowns Liverpool debut to see off Everton in Cup derby
Related: Liverpool 2-1 Everton: FA Cup third round – as it happened
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