It’s claimed Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk gave Jordan Pickford the cold shoulder following an apology for a tackle that resulted in a serious injury.

The final Merseyside derby for the season would be played on Wednesday at Anfield,the derby at Goodison park which is the final derby that Goodison park would host was fully parked with drama late on the game,it was a moment of what a true derby signifies for football fans.The game ended in a 2 2 draw both team hating on each other before this final derby of the season which brings about the Van Dijk incidence.

Van Dijk knows Goodison Park well after suffering an ACL injury at the ground in 2020. The incident occurred during the Merseyside Derby when Everton goalkeeper Pickford collided with Van Dijk’s knee, forcing him off the pitch. This injury saw the Dutch defender miss the remainder of the 2020/21 season and his chance to lead the Netherlands in Euro 2020.

According to the Liverpool ECHO, Van Dijk rejected Pickford’s attempts to assist him back onto his feet after the collision. It’s believed Sadio Mane, the former Liverpool star, told the England goalkeeper to “go away”.

The controversy was heightened as Pickford escaped punishment due to being offside at the time of the collision. Jurgen Klopp expressed his confusion over the lack of penalty, stating post-match: “It’s not good. Virgil plays with pain but he couldn’t play on. Not good.”

He further commented on Pickford’s challenge, saying: “Pickford kicks him completely. I need to watch it back. I’ve seen the disallowed goal at the end and in the picture I saw it wasn’t offside. Can someone explain that to me?”

After Van Dijk’s return the following season, he chose not to dwell on the horror challenge, acknowledging his undiminished bravery in tackles. “My injury was caused by a kick,” he explained.

“It wasn’t a moment when nobody was around. Actually, that made it a bit easier mentally to go all the way. Sometimes it is at the back of your mind, but it is not something that really concerns me. It’s certainly not like I’m afraid to go into a duel.”

With this incident Van Dijk clearly states that he still has grudges with Jordan Pickford but scoring against him would be able to relieve him of the grudges he believes his team would surely win again tomorrow stating ‘we have always been the better side than them for years’ breaking there winning streak at Anfield would be joyous.

The derby would be fully parked as we await for a derby that can turn out to be one of the best in the history.