(Credit: Imago / Cody Froggatt/News Images)

Ben Palmer

Thu 20 February 2025 16:00, UK

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has reacted to a message from his teammate Alexis Mac Allister after a draw with Aston Villa.

The Argentine international played 81 minutes in the 2-2 draw against the Villains on Wednesday night (19 February).

The first talking point of the match came after 22 minutes, when Axel Disasi was booked for striking Mac Allister in the face, while the two players jostled for position prior to a corner for the Midlands side.

Keith Hackett told Football Insider exclusively that whilst Disasi should have seen red for lashing out, referee Craig Pawson was at fault for not spotting an offence from Mac Allister beforehand.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for Liverpool against Aston Villa, after a massive mistake from Andres Garcia allowed Diogo Jota to set-up the Egyptian forward for a tap-in after 29 minutes.

The Villains would strike back through Youri Tielemans in the 38th minute, after the Belgian powered a shot into the turf, and past the hapless Alisson in net.

Arsenal transfer target Ollie Watkins then gave the Midlands side the lead on the stroke of half-time, as a delightful whipped cross from Lucas Digne was powerfully headed home by the England international.

The tie would take another twist, when Salah played a searching ball across the box that picked out Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the right-back made no mistake, scoring his second goal of the season past Emi Martinez.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk responds after points dropped in title-race

Following the draw between the two sides, the former Brighton midfielder posted an image of himself in action on his Instagram, captioned: “Tough battle out there. We take the point and move on. Thank you fans for your support, all together Liverpool.”

The post was liked by Van Dijk, and also Ibrahima Konate, who impressed with a tidy defensive performance next to the Dutchman.

Liverpool are at risk of letting slip their lead in the Premier League, having seen the gap to Arsenal go from nine points to eight, with the Gunners now having a game in hand on the Merseyside club.

Alexis Mac Allister shows all-round game for Liverpool vs Aston Villa

The result was a disappointing on for Liverpool as a team, but Mac Allister once again put in an impressive performance for the Reds.

The World Cup winner completed all but one of his passes in an assured display from the midfielder.

The Reds will be relying on Mac Allister to continue to produce his impressive performances as they attempt to complete a historic treble.

Liverpool will face Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday 16 March, with Arne Slot hoping to claim a first trophy as manager of the club.