Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners at Sheffield United, with Van Dijk opening the scoring with a sweet volley in the 37th minute.
Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped the ball in from a corner, which fell kindly for the unmarked Liverpool captain to coolly slam home first-time. Van Dijk barely put a foot wrong in the game, also weighing in with four clearances, two tackles, two interceptions and a very important and well-timed block.
As per Whoscored.com, the 32-year-old also registered two shots on target in the game and won four aerial challenges.
Kelleher, speaking to the Liverpool media team ahead of the Crystal Palace clash, said he wasn’t surprised by how well Van Dijk did to score with such a neat volley. The 25-year-old also lauded the £220,000-a-week (Spotrac) Netherlands international for his leadership skills.
“He caught it so nicely,” Kelleher said. “We all know he’s brilliant with his feet so it wasn’t a surprise to me that he finished it off.
“He is brilliant [as a leader], he always has been, even when he wasn’t captain. “He talks you through the game, he is always positive and trying to help you, so he’s great to have there.”
Van Dijk may have had his fair share of doubters in recent years, but he is now back to his very best and has pretty much silenced every one of his critics.
He will go down in history as one of the all-time Liverpool legends, there’s no doubt about that. When Van Dijk joined Liverpool, there were those who raised their eyebrows at his £75million fee.
However, nobody ever talks about that any more, because of how well he has done for the Reds.
Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has praised Virgil van Dijk for his goal in the Reds’ latest Premier League encounter.
