Virgil van Dijk completes flawless feat for third time in his Liverpool career v Burnley
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(Credit: Imago, Getty)
Edward Bazeley
Sun 14 September 2025 18:08, UK
Virgil van Dijk’s aerial presence proved vital as Liverpool defeated Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor on Sunday.
Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Burnley on 14 September sees Arne Slot’s men sitting top of the Premier League table, with four wins from as man attempts.
The Reds’ victory didn’t come easy, though, as Mohamed Salah’s 95th minute penalty proved the only difference between Slot’s side and the newly promoted Clarets.
Meanwhile, in an incident-filled affair that saw Burnley’s Lesley Ugochukwu sent off, Conor Bradley received a yellow card for a reckless challenge.
Credit: Imago
Crucially, Liverpool’s triumph at Burnley saw the Anfield outfit earn their second successive clean sheet in the Premier League.
Slot’s side initially looked shaky in defence at the start of the campaign, conceding four goals across their wins over Bournemouth and Newcastle United.
However, after Liverpool beat Arsenal 1-0 on 31 August, they proved their defensive steel by winning against Burnley with the same scoreline in Lancashire.
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Van Dijk proved crucial to that success by winning all eight of his aerial duels against Burnley, marking the third time he has managed to win eight or more of his aerial duels throughout his illustrious Liverpool career.
While Liverpool remain confident of signing Marc Guehi, the fact that their move for the Crystal Palace man collapsed in the January transfer window places a heavy onus on Van Dijk to continue performing well for the defending Premier League champions.
Liverpool’s next three fixturesAll competitions 2025/2617/09Atletico Madrid (H)20/09Everton (H)23/09Southampton (H)Liverpool face Atletico Madrid next
Slot’s side are now set for bigger tests than the one posed by Burnley on 14 September, as they face La Liga giants Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday, 17 September.
Diego Simeone’s men are in poor form in the Spanish top flight, but stars like former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez can cause problems for Slot’s backline, meaning that Van Dijk must be on the top of his game once more.
Meanwhile, after facing Atletico on 17 September, Liverpool host Everton on Saturday, 20 September, for the first Merseyside Derby of the season.
Elsewhere, football commentator Ian Darke has outlined what he expects starlet Rio Ngumoha to bring to the Reds this term in a Liverpool News 247 exclusive.