I spoke to Virgil van Dijk after Erling Haaland masterclass - he was so angry he walked away

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Back in October 2019, the forward - then leading Red Bull Salzburg's attack - made a sensational impact by coming off the bench to score at Anfield in a thrilling 4-3 loss to the reigning European champions.A few weeks prior, Haaland had marked his Champions League debut with a stunning hat-trick against Genk but it was that cameo at Anfield that really grabbed attention - and, reportedly, left Van Dijk simmering with frustration.After the match, former Norway international Jan Aage Fjortoft revealed that Van Dijk was so annoyed he refused to answer questions about Haaland - supposedly to avoid reflecting on his own errors against the youngster - before abruptly ending the interview."The first time I saw him [Haaland] live was at Anfield when he came on and I was amazed that this young kid created so much space," Fjortoft told the Blood Red podcast in 2020. I was amazed how he created space and how I define that is how his runs are wise and experienced."After the game, I interviewed Van Dijk, who I always like to interview because he is a gentleman and I said 'I have to ask you about the Norwegian, Erling Halaand.' And he just said: 'Well, we won the game'.

So I said 'Yes but what do you think about him?' Van Dijk said: 'I didn't see a lot of him' and he was a bit angry because there was some mistakes done."And I said 'It's a good sign for a striker when a defender says he didn't see him!' - and then he just went away, Van Dijk."Two months later, Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund, rejecting a move to Manchester United in the process. In Germany, he scored 86 goals in 89 appearances before moving to Manchester City in 2022 - where he has continued to cause Liverpool problems.Sunday's goal was his fourth in nine outings against the Reds and judging by Van Dijk's pre-match comments, the Dutchman may have anticipated the danger.

Haaland has praised Van Dijk before the match, calling him "an amazing player."Speaking to Stan Sport Football, he said: "Of course, it's fun [to play against Liverpool]. "He [Van Dijk] is an amazing player, Liverpool is an amazing team.