Virgil van Dijk made an uncharacteristic error against Fulham on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool secured a huge three points at Craven Cottage.
The Dutchman may have won each of his last 18 aerials contested at home in the Premier League, winning every duel since January this year, but a misjudged header to goalkeeper Alisson gave Ryan Babel a tap in from close range.
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Shortly after Babel equalised in the 74th minute, an interview with The Times was brought to light.
In the piece, the former Liverpool man reveals that he spotted a weakness to van Dijk's game, and vowed to exploit it:
"Virgil has definitely developed over the past few years," Babel said. "I think he can get better by 30 per cent. I still feel he plays on 70 per cent. He can do much more. He can be fast if he wants.
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"He does have a weakness, I don't want to say what it is. I don't think in the Premier League anyone has made that aware yet."
Babel continued, saying that he himself has a weakness:
"I do have a weakness for Liverpool and I do want them to be champions. I left Liverpool through the back door. It's a prestige thing to prove people wrong.
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"I was loved in Liverpool, I had good relationship with the fans and my team-mates but I felt I could do better.
"At the same time I was 21, 22, 23 - not every player has maturity and I needed the guidance I had at Ajax. What can you do if you're not playing, what can you do differently?"
Thankfully for van Dijk, in-form winger Sadio Mane was fouled in the box and the ever-reliable James Milner converted from the penalty spot to make it 2-1.
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Featured Image Credit:Topics: Liverpool, SPORT, Football News, League, Football, Premier League, England, Race, Virgil Van Dijk, Fulham
