Liverpool never know when they’re dead and buried.
Indeed, in the Premier League this season, Arne Slot’s Reds hold a never-say-die reputation, with a last-gasp goal gifting them a dramatic 3-2 win over Newcastle United at the tail-end of August.
Then, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah both struck late on themselves to seal slim 1-0 victories over Arsenal and Burnley.
Virgil Van Dijk was handed the baton to be the last-gasp hero in the Champions League, with the Dutch colossus heading home a 92nd-minute corner to clinch another action-packed 3-2 win for the Anfield giants against Atletico Madrid.
The beloved Liverpool captain continues to shine so deep into his Liverpool career, with the aforementioned Salah also showing no signs of cobwebs against Diego Simeone’s tough challengers on Wednesday night.
Salah and Van Dijk's importance
Off the back of another memorable night in Europe’s elite competition for Liverpool, Salah and Van Dijk have now lined up alongside each other on Merseyside a jaw-dropping 299 times.
If the 3-2 success is anything to go by, the pair will be lining up next to each other for a lot more games to come, with the Egyptian continuing to age like a fine wine when helping Slot and Co storm into a 2-0 lead at Anfield after just six minutes.
After his early free-kick was fortuitously deflected in courtesy of Andy Robertson, Salah then burst forward with one of his trademark, mazey darts to shock the visitors from Spain to give the hosts a very early two-goal cushion.
Past that point, Simeone’s men did what they did best in battling well, as a Marcos Llorente double levelled proceedings, but Van Dijk would thankfully connect with a last-ditch Szoboszlai corner kick to gift Slot’s men their first win of a new Champions League campaign.
Completing 97% of his passes and winning 100% of his duels, it’s clear that the commanding number four, alongside the revered number 11, are still world-class performers, even so late into their Anfield stays.
However, they aren’t world-beaters on their own, with one other Liverpool star being dubbed as “one of the best players in the world” after an equally electric showing.
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Liverpool star is now "one of the best players in the world"
Obviously, both Salah and Van Dijk didn’t just wake up one day as untouchable stars.
It has taken considerable dedication and effort on both their ends to be considered in the esteemed light they are today, alongside Anfield often getting even more out of you as a special place to call home.
Ryan Gravenberch has experienced that first-hand ever since swapping Bayern Munich behind for a fresh challenge at the Reds, with the Dutchman now arguably one of the best holding midfielders in the world, after a forgettable one-season stay in Bavaria.
After shining bright during Slot’s debut season in England with four assists in the Premier League, the 23-year-old looks to be kicking on to try and reach even loftier heights this campaign, with his near faultless outing against Atletico Madrid arguably putting him on the same pedestal as Salah and Van Dijk.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
79
Accurate passes
58/65 (89%)
Key passes
2
Successful dribbles
1/2
Total duels won
7/10
Without Gravenberch’s energy and tenacity, the first two Liverpool strikes might never have come to be, with the goalscoring free-kick initially being rewarded after a foul on the relentless number 38, before one of his influential drives forward from deep played Salah through for the second.
But, it’s his full 90-minute display that was also mightily impressive when looking at the table above, with the complete midfielder further showing off his defensive strengths when winning seven duels on the night.
Already, back in the bread and butter of league action, Gravenberch has averaged a standout 4.7 duels won per contest, away from very rarely miscuing a pass, with the 23-year-old always consistently giving it his all for the Liverpool cause.
Reds content creator DaveOCKOP would even go as far as to state that Gravenberch is “one of the best players in the world” off the back of his notable display, and it’s hard to argue against that glowing assessment when looking in detail at his vital display all over the park.
Further lauded as growing “in stature” the more his Liverpool career advances by journalist Henry Winter, the future looks extremely bright for the 6-foot-3 talent under Slot’s wing, with there being room for him to improve even more to make world-class suggestions commonplace.