Virgil van Dijk has been dubbed ‘Van Disney’ by fans as they mercilessly mocked him for his scorching display in Liverpool’s draw against Fulham after he was bullied by Aleksandar Mitrovic before knocking the Serb down for a penalty
Virgil van Dijk mocked after sad performance against Fulham
Van Dijk conceded a penalty as Liverpool cleared a draw at Craven Cottage
The Dutch captain struggled with Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic
Mitrovic produced a masterclass to earn the Premier League’s new lads a point
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Virgil van Dijk has been widely ridiculed on social media after a poor performance that saw the Dutch captain take a penalty. Fulham earned a draw with Champions League finalists Liverpool in their first game since returning to the Premier League.
The Championship winners enjoyed a fantastic start against Jurgen Klopp’s side, with Mitrovic towering over Trent Alexander-Arnold and giving Fulham a 1-0 lead after 32 minutes.
The Serbian striker posed a constant threat for the first 45 minutes, with Marco Silva’s team going into halftime with a shocking lead.
Aleksandar Mitrovic rises over Trent Alexander-Arnold to score Fulham’s opener
Jurgen Klopp watches as his team shaves a 2-2 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage
Liverpool got off to a stronger start into the second half, but Mitrovic remained a thorn in the side of one of the Premier League’s strongest defences. He made his way past Jordan Henderson and dribbled past a stunned Virgil van Dijk in an extraordinary run.
Darwin Nunez scored his first competitive goal for the Reds to tie the game in the 64th minute, but Fulham refused to lie down and Mitrovic reappeared in between the action, winning a penalty after being knocked down by Van Dijk in the penalty area .
The former Newcastle United striker then doubled his number by shooting his penalty past Allison and giving Fulham the lead again at Craven Cottage.
Virgil van Dijk had a performance to forget in Liverpool’s Premier League opener
Aleksandar Mitrovic silenced critics with his exceptional performance in front of goal
A goal from Mohamed Salah at 80 minutes would eventually save a point for Liverpool, but the star of the day was undoubtedly Fulham’s number nine.
With a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most unflappable defensive heroes, Van Dijk’s shocking performance angered a number of fans on social media.
Twitter user @CFCMod_ wrote: ‘Mitrovic had Van Disney on the phone throughout the game’
@ProperPundits added: ‘Van Dijk was bullied by Mitrovic but LFC fans think he would pocket Drogba, Henry, Shearer, Rooney’
Another user added: ‘I’m not saying Van Dijk is bad, but given his (imo) generational talent, the level he plays at rn is just not good enough’
@ForteLuNineteen also noted that Liverpool are struggling to contain the rising Mitrovic: ‘Van Dijk and Henderson played some terrible games today. Mitrovic had Van Dijk by his collar the entire match.’
Another user commented on Mitrovic’s previous battle on international duty: ‘Virgil Van Dijk was just embarrassed by a striker who was in Declan Gallagher’s back pocket for 120 minutes not too long ago’
Social media users scoff at Dutch captain’s poor performance at Craven Cottage