He showed why he's one of the best – Alexander-Arnold pays tribute to Van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk played a vital role in Liverpool's win over Tottenham on Sunday, with Trent Alexander-Arnold paying tribute to him.

Virgil van Dijk showed why he is one of the world's best defenders in Sunday's dramatic 2-1 win over Tottenham, according to Liverpool team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold.  

The Reds claimed a potentially vital victory at Anfield against Mauricio Pochettino's men, as a last-gasp Toby Alderweireld own goal gifted them all three points after Hugo Lloris parried a Mohamed Salah header into the Belgian.  

But, a few moments earlier, Spurs had a glorious chance to take the lead, Moussa Sissoko leading a two-on-one break with Van Dijk the only Liverpool defender for company.  

The Dutchman opted to cover the passing route to Son Heung-min and allow Sissoko the space to move into the penalty area, an approach that paid off when the Frenchman blazed over.  

Manchester City sits just two points behind Liverpool – it has a game in hand, too - so defeat to Spurs could have been costly for the Reds' titles chances.

Speaking to Liverpool's official website, Alexander-Arnold said: "Obviously they had a massive chance near the end of the game, just before we scored.

 

"Virgil showed why he is probably one of the best defenders in the world with his decision-making, the way he closed the angle down and put pressure on their player at the end.

"We went up the other end and it was very fortunate, but a goal is a goal and a win is the most important thing we wanted - and that's what we got.

"It was tough, they are a really top side and they might feel like they deserved a little bit more, but we showed we wanted it more and that we're a top side.

"We're not really fussed how we get the win anymore, it's all about the points we can get - that's the main thing for us."