Liverpool failed to regain the top spot in the Premier League as they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
The Reds failed to make the most of their many opportunities to take the lead during the second half after a penalty from Alexis Mac Allister ruled out John Stones' opener during the first half.
Jurgen Klopp's side were dominant and aggressive in the press throughout the game, and racked up 2.46 xG – to City's 1.61 – but ultimately had to settle for a point.
Mac Allister, who scored the equaliser from the spot, put in a superb performance in the middle of the park, but the real star of the match for the German boss was his captain – Virgil van Dijk.
Alexis Mac Allister's stats vs Man City
The Argentina international remained composed as he stuck his penalty to Ederson's right and beyond the despairing dive of the Brazilian, who had given the spot-kick away with a rash challenge on Darwin Nunez.
He was also combative out of possession with his constant pressing and harrying of the City midfielders to make sure that they did not have any time on the ball.
Minutes played
90
Duels contested
14
Duels won
8
Pass accuracy
82%
Chances created
0
As you can see in the table above, Mac Allister was dominant in his physical battles, by winning eight of his 14 duels, but his work in possession could have been better.
To only complete 82% of his attempted passes without creating a single chance for his teammates suggests that the midfielder was wasteful at times without being progressive, which he may look back on as an area to improve on next time out.
Virgil van Dijk's stats against Man City
Meanwhile, van Dijk was the real star of the show at the heart of Liverpool's defence as he was almost faultless throughout the match for the Reds.
Barring one moment when Erling Haaland robbed him of possession during the first half, the Netherlands international typified the team's aggressive and dominant performance.
The former Southampton colossus, who had 93 touches of the ball in total, was super reliable with his use of the ball as he completed 97% (77/79) of his attempted passes, which included six of his seven long pass attempts.
Defensively, van Dijk won five of his eight duels and made a number of key defensive contributions to cut out City attacks, with four tackles and four interceptions.
He made two last-man tackles to bail the rest of his defence out after they had been bypassed, and brilliantly marshalled Haaland – as the last man – into a weak effort on goal after the Norway international looked like he had a free run on goal.
These statistics show that van Dijk was outstanding in and out of possession throughout the match, with his calmness on the ball and dominance defensively, which is why he was the real star of the show over Mac Allister, who was sloppy at times.