Premier League 2018-19: 5 talking points from gameweek 11 

#1 Van Dijk emphatic once more

Van Dijk was a leader at the back for Liverpool

More than a few eyebrows were raised when Liverpool expended £75m to purchase Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton, as the 26-year-old Dutch defender was seen as lacking experience at the highest level, and it was believed that he could not be the single solution to Liverpool’s woes.

To say that those beliefs have been proven foolish would be an understatement, as not only has Liverpool’s defence improved significantly, but their organization and all-round stability at the back has been visibly shored up, and this is largely due to the input of Van Dijk.

Liverpool’s struggles at the back in recent seasons are well documented, and the club lost dearly for it, with titles and points dropped needlessly, as The Reds proved incapable of keeping a clean sheet even if their life depended on it.

Since Van Dijk’s arrival, Liverpool have been transformed into a defensively solid outfit, and have the second-best defence in the league, with five goals conceded in just 11 matches.

The club also went on an eight-month run without conceding a goal at Anfield, a run of nine consecutive matches which lasted over 800 minutes until Peterson of Cardiff City breached their backline last weekend.

Against Arsenal, Van Dijk was once more at his imperious best, putting his physicality to good use in both boxes, helping thwart most of the Arsenal attack, while also coming close to getting a goal for himself but for his header which rebounded off the post.

Liverpool may have spent a world record sum for a defender to get Van Dijk, but eight months on from his arrival, and it is proving to be a great deal.