20-year-old Summerville ends van Dijk and Liverpool’s unbeaten home runs
Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool were handed a late heartbreak in front of a packed Anfield crowd on Saturday evening as Jurgen Klopp’s men continue to struggle.
The defeat was the first home defeat in the league for Dutch international Virgil van Dijk since he made his Reds bow in 2018 after joining from Southampton for a record £75 million. He has played in 69 home games for Liverpool in the Premier League without tasting defeat prior to the meeting with the Whites on Saturday evening.
However, Crysencio Jilbert Sylverio Cirro Summerville who turns 21 on Sunday ensured his compatriot ends the night with his record in splits after stealing the show for Jesse Marsch’s men with the late winner in injury time with an assist from former Chelsea youth star Patrick Bamford.
Liverpool also had a record to keep heading into the match with an eye on a 30-consecutive home game unbeaten run. The Reds last tasted a defeat at home when Chelsea beat them 0-1 behind closed doors on March 4, 2021, with Ozan Kabak and Fabinho paired at centre-back. They have since then secured 22 wins and seven draws with 17 clean sheets.
Summerville who turns 21 years on Sunday received the ball from Bamford after good work from Wilfried Gnonto to slot in the winner in the 89th minute to help ease the pressure on Marsch who seems to be running out of time at the Elland Road after helping them to escape relegation the last day last season.
The defeat was Liverpool’s second in a row and four in the league this season, two more than they accumulated last season and one less than the two seasons combined. Last last week’s slump against Nottingham Forest was glossed over by a controlled win over Ajax in the Champions League which secured passage into the last 16.
Klopp will be hoping to get his men psyched up for the Tuesday dead rubber in the Champions League which is but a contest to determine who finishes top of the group. A weak performance could result in an onslaught from the free-scoring Serie A side who produced a 4-0 win over Sassuolo with red-hot Victor Osimhen notching a hat-trick.
Liverpool then has two league games against Tottenham away and Southampton at Anfield, either side of a third-round cup fixture against Derby County also at home on November 9.
Leeds will turn their attention to Bournemouth at Elland Road and Tottenham on the road on either side of the EFL Cup third-round fixture against Wolves.
