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#2 Virgil van Dijk's leadership comes to the fore in an impressive first-half display
The Dutchman came up against a formidable attack consisting of Edin Dzeko and Patrick Schick. Van Dijk won 5 duels against Roma's attack and cleared the ball on 11 occasions. He also covered up for some shabby defensive work by Lovren in the first half. Liverpool's defence has often been criticised for its lack of quality and more importantly, for the lack of a genuine leader. But the arrival of van Dijk has seen the Liverpool defence improve drastically.
Liverpool's defence might have some minor chinks in its armour, but one can certainly not deny that the Dutchman has brought about some change since his arrival from Southampton in the January transfer window. The likes of Loris Karius have started putting up some confident performances after the Dutchman's arrival.
We can conclude that a resolute defensive display in the first half played a crucial role in helping the Reds seal a spot in the UEFA Champions League final for the first time since 2007.
