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Liverpool made it two wins from two in the Premier League by beating Newcastle United on Monday, though both games so far have seen the Reds let a two-goal lead slip before some late heroics.
This time, it was 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha who finished emphatically at the far post. Just over a week ago, it was Federico Chiesa who came off the bench to put Liverpool in front again in the match with Bournemouth.
But against Newcastle, even though Liverpool conceded twice, it could have been even more had Virgil van Dijk not impressed so much (alongside Dominik Szoboszlai, who was filling in at right-back).
Van Dijk won plenty of aerial duels and helped steer the rest of the Liverpool backline through some tricky periods at an intense St James' Park. He performed impressively and made Harry Redknapp's Team of the Week.
"Van Dijk was just magnificent against Newcastle," Redknapp told Bet Victor. "Liverpool’s defense was just all over the place, except this lad.
"He dealt with absolutely everything that came his way. I don’t think he lost a header, even against big Dan Burn! He’s still such a top player."
Van Dijk will hope that he doesn't have to be as active in future matches. Though Liverpool was able to control the game better (albeit against 10 men for the majority), it looked weak from set-pieces — which is not ideal for facing Arsenal on Sunday.
"You cannot control a game of football if every single ball is thrown into your 18-yard box, every throw-in is a long throw-in, every free-kick they get is a long ball," Arne Slot said.
"And they can do both — that's why this is such a good team. They can play out from the back if they want to, they can be intense in their pressing, they have so many quality players. But they also have the quality to play a game like this with so many big players.
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"Of course it helps a little bit to have an extra man in a set-piece. But if the goalkeeper takes the ball, there is no use in having an extra player anymore.
"So with set-pieces, it helps a little bit to have one extra player, but not as much as you would like. It was impossible for us to control the game."
Liverpool hosts Arsenal next in the Premier League. After that is the international break before it returns with a trip to Burnley on September 14.
Liverpool.com says: Van Dijk was excellent in difficult circumstances. He remains the best in the business in his position and pinning him down to a two-year extension a few months ago was vital.
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