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What's the story?
Speaking to media following their Super Cup triumph over Chelsea FC, Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk revealed that he told Adrian to 'be the hero' before the penalty shoot-out.
The keeper saved Tammy Abraham's penalty with his legs to hand Liverpool their first taste of silverware this season.
In case you didn't know...
Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties in what was a nail-biting finish to the all-English encounter. Alisson Becker missed the game due to a calf injury as former West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian Miguel started under the bars for the Reds.
Chelsea opened the scoreline as Oliver Giroud's left-footed shot went past Adrian. Sadio Mane equalised with a simple finish in the 48th-minute of the match. As the scoreline remained the same after the first ninety minutes, the game went into extra-time.
Sadio Mane and Jorginho scored for their respective sides, but the game went to penalties as the score was still level at the end of a gruelling 120 minutes of football. Liverpool were crowned the winner of UEFA Super Cup 2019 as Adrian denied Chelsea's no.9 Tammy Abraham with his legs.
The heart of the matter
In a post-match interview with BT Sport, van Dijk revealed that he had spoken to Adrian right after the end of extra time and told him to ‘be a hero’. He said:
“I’m very glad and very happy that Adrian saved the last one. He should enjoy himself.
“I told him before the penalties ‘you can be the hero tonight, so do it. He did it, and I’m really happy for him and for the club as well.”
He further added:
“It was a good game to watch for the neutral spectators. It was tough. He had moments where we played very good football, especially in the second half we played some good stuff and put them under pressure."
“I said it yesterday as well, in a final anything can happen, and with penalties especially, I’m glad I’m on the winning side this time."
What's next?
Frank Lampard's Chelsea have made a poor start to their 2019-20 campaign, losing two competitive games consecutively. The Blues will host Leicester City next Saturday in their next Premier League fixture.
On the other hand, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool will travel to St. Mary's Stadium to face Southampton on 17th August.
