Football fans have been quick to voice their frustration on social media after Virgil van Dijk escaped punishment for an elbow into Richarlison’s chin. Liverpool welcomed Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash. The visitors came into the tie with a 1-0 lead, emerging with a narrow victory in the first leg following a late winner from Lucas Bergvall.
A meeting with Newcastle United in the final was on the line and with so much to play for and the tie still very much up for grabs, both sides came in ready to give it their all. That could be seen early as well when Richarlison battled with Van Dijk for the ball in just the third minute of the contest. As the two tussled, the Liverpool man appeared to throw an elbow that caught the Brazilian in the chin and he was sent crashing to the ground.
While the incident looked brutal for Richarlison, the referee decided that it didn’t warrant any form of punishment for Van Dijk and the Dutch centre-back, who is considered one of the best defenders in the world, wasn’t even shown a yellow card. It’s safe to say that the decision didn’t go down well for some fans.
Fans Think Van Dijk Should Have Been Sent Off
Following replays of the incident, it initially looked like Van Dijk might receive a yellow card at the very least. That wasn’t the case, though, and nothing was done. Fans were quick to jump on social media after the fact and voice their displeasure at the referee’s call as well. One supporter took to X (Twitter)and said: “Only Van Dijk would get away with that kind of elbow.”
A second fan shared that sentiment, posting: “Bro Virgil Van Dijk gets away with elbows & kicks like that every game,” while a third said: “How is that not a red for Van Dijk by the way.”
Another supporter simply claimed the Liverpool man was immune to being shown a card, saying: “Van Dijk immune to cards.” Finally, another fan compared the situation to how things would have played out if an Arsenal player was the one throwing the elbow. They said: “If any Arsenal player did what Van Dijk just did…. Unbelievable.”
