Troy Deeney must be having a laugh after what he accused Virgil van Dijk of doing vs Newcastle
Liverpool rode their luck as they snatched a thrilling 3-2 win away at Newcastle United on Monday.
The Magpies threw everything but the kitchen sink at Liverpool in the early stages of their Premier League match.
Liverpool soaked up all the pressure and took the lead through a fantastic Ryan Gravenberch strike.
Then, a decision from Simon Hooper late in the first half turned the game on its head.
Antony Gordon clattered into Virgil Van Dijk long after the ball was gone and was sent off for serious foul play.
Hugo Ekitike gave Liverpool a two-goal advantage early in the second half, only for Bruno Guimaraes and William Osula to strike.
However, Rio Ngumoha fired home in the 100th minute to land three massive points.
Virgil van Dijk accused of ‘playing a cute one’ by Troy Deeney
Referee Simon Hooper initially chose not to brandish a red card, but was then instructed to review the challenge on the VAR screen.
Only after reviewing the footage a second time, he made the decision to send Gordon off.
- Read more: ‘Not acceptable’ – Jamie Carragher cannot believe Liverpool footage ahead of Newcastle match
Commentating on the match for talkSPORT, Troy Deeney suggested Van Dijk’s reaction to the challenge might have played a role in the decision.
“Van Dijk has played a cute one there,” Deeney said. “He went down two or three times to make sure that VAR had a look at it.”
Deeney did go on to suggest that you “can’t argue” about the decision as Gordon was “not in control” and aiming to “leave a bit on him”.
Sam Matterface, co-commentating with Deeney, described the challenge as a “really stupid red mist moment.”
However, the suggestion that Van Dijk almost went out of his way to ensure Gordon was dismissed is laughable.
It was a horror challenge and there is no way the Liverpool native was avoiding anything other than a red card, regardless of Van Dijk’s reaction.
What a stupid challenge man. It’s a red card all day. #NEWLIV 🤬🤬🤬
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) August 25, 2025
Virgil Van Dijk not at his best this season
There was so much speculation and debate surrounding Mo Salah’s new Liverpool contract that it might be easy to forget that Van Dijk was also recently offered a mega-deal to stay at Anfield.
Van Dijk is 34 years old, and there were questions whether he’d be worth the huge contract that he’d likely demand.
| Virgil Van Dijk statistics | |
| SIgned | January 2018 |
| Appearances | 314 |
| Goals | 28 |
On the basis of the first two games, in which four goals have been shipped, the early signs are not great.
Perhaps Marc Guehi will be the long-term replacement, but Van Dijk has bounced back from adversity before and it will be no time at all before he is back to his best in Liverpool colours.
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