Jordan Pickford's Tackle On Dele Alli Resurfaces After He Injured Virgil van Dijk In Merseyside Derby

Jordan Pickford's wild tackle on Virgil van Dijk was hardly an anomaly as the Everton goalkeeper has done similar before.

Dutch defender Van Dijk had to be replaced by Joe Gomez in the first half following the shocking scissor-motion challenge from England's No.1.

Image: PA

The challenge went unpunished after Van Dijk was deemed to be offside - but VAR also decided that it was not worthy of a red card despite its reckless nature.

Following on from the nasty lunge, another incredibly late tackle from Pickford has been doing the rounds. This time the victim was international teammate Dele Alli in an Everton vs Spurs fixture back in December 2018.

As the MK Dons youth product ran through on goal, Pickford charged out and caught Alli, who did well to stay on his feet given the impact.

Alan Shearer branded it a "disgusting challenge" when discussing Spurs' 6-2 win at Goodison Park on Match of the Day, but again Pickford was not even cautioned because Alli was flagged offside.

Van Dijk did not require a stretcher to leave the pitch after receiving treatment but there are fears he could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines having potentially suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

There's been no official word from Liverpool, but ESPN's Mark Ogden says Van Dijk underwent scans last night and is poised to find out "a clear diagnosis" when he sees a specialist.

If it is indeed an ACL, the former Southampton man is almost certain to miss the rest of the season in what would be a catastrophic blow for the Premier League champions.

Topics: Spurs, Liverpool, Football News, Tottenham Hotspur, Football, Jordan Pickford, Everton, Dele Alli, Virgil Van Dijk

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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