Virgil van Dijk casually destroys Michael Owen in frosty post-match interview after derby win | OneFootball

Word of advice to anyone speaking to Virgil van Dijk in the next few weeks – do not suggest that this has been a disappointing season for Liverpool!

The Reds went into the March international break off the double disappointment of exiting the Champions League and losing the Carabao Cup final, but they returned to duty with a hard-fought Merseyside derby win on Wednesday night to restore their 12-point lead in the Premier League.

The Dutchman spoke to Michael Owen in a live broadcast for Premier League Productions after the match against Everton, and there was a frosty exchange between the pair after the latter suggested that the 2024/25 campaign may be less ‘special’ with just the one trophy now on offer to Arne Slot’s side.

Van Dijk unimpressed with Owen suggestion

The ex-Liverpool striker asked Van Dijk (via TEAMtalk): “I’m just thinking, if you said at the start of the season that you’re gonna win the Premier League, I’m sure everybody would’ve been over the moon. However, it was building into something really special. How hard was it after a couple of big defeats in cup competitions to get your mind tuned back into the Premier League and to finish the season well?”

When the Reds captain icily replied: “So you’re suggesting the season is not going to be special any more?”, a panicked Owen responded: “It will be, absolutely, it will be special, but I thought it could’ve been building into something very special.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Van Dijk then unloaded on the pundit as he said: “Well, I think we have to change that narrative a little bit. We’re fighting for the biggest prize of the season, we worked so hard for it, 20 teams are working so hard to be on top of the Premier League.

“We have eight games to go; we know what’s at stake. We have to go for it, we have to fight, we have to enjoy the whole ride and then let’s see. Like I said, it’s still looking very special in my eyes.

“I think what you said, at the start of the season, I think no-one expected us to even try to fight on all four front. Obviously we’re at the stage now where we’re still fighting for the biggest, and that’s the reality. It’s still a possibility that this season will be very, very special.”

The perfect answer from Van Dijk

Van Dijk was bang-on not to take any sort of nonsense from Owen in that awkward interview, just like he took no nonsense from James Tarkowski when shoving the Everton defender to the ground at one point in the second half last night.

It seems as though only Liverpool could be 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League going into April, having lost just one top-flight match all season, and yet still be accused of having an anticlimactic campaign because each of the knockout competitions fell by the wayside.

As the Reds captain rightly pointed out, every pundit on Earth seemed to be predicting us to struggle this term after Jurgen Klopp’s departure, with Gary Neville among those who didn’t even have us down to finish in the top four.

The league title isn’t in the bag yet, and LFC still need to ensure that they finish the season on a high, but it’d certainly be a ‘special’ occasion to lift the Premier League trophy at Anfield in a few weeks’ time if that’s what happens, especially after fans were deprived of a proper celebration in 2020.

Van Dijk casually destroying Owen in that post-match interview will only add to Liverpool fans’ satisfaction from last night’s result!

You can view an excerpt from the conversation between Van Dijk and Owen below, broadcast on Premier League Productions and shared via @ianyoungkop on X: