Manchester United 0-0 Liverpool: 5 Hits and Flops

#4 Hit: Virgil van Dijk

van Dijk returned and his calming presence was needed at the back in a game Liverpool could have lost

After missing their home clash against Bayern in midweek, Virgil van Dijk's returning presence was certainly appreciated by the visitors. United - despite injuries - still posed an attacking threat and buoyed on by the home supporters, will have felt frustrated not to have tested Alisson more regularly than they actually did.

With a game-high six aerial duels won, four clearances, two blocked shots, and one tackle, it was another solid outing for the Dutchman. Interestingly, he and Sadio Mane were Liverpool's only starting outfield players not to commit a foul over the 90 minutes, while he thwarted Pogba's goalbound effort with an important intervention and kept Lukaku muted whenever the Belgian lurked near him.

Joel Matip might have been more adventurous and attack-minded, but van Dijk's calming influence has become invaluable for Liverpool over the past twelve months and it's during matches like these where that shines through.