Liverpool cruised to a convincing 3-0 win over Marseille in the Champions League. Captain Virgil van Dijk has singled out one player for special praise.
22:49, 21 Jan 2026
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool speaks to the media in a post match press conference following the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between Olympique de Marseille and Liverpool FC at Stade de Marseille on January 21, 2026 in Marseille, France.
Virgil van Dijk was full of praise for one Liverpool colleague after the 3-0 win over Marseille.(Image: Stuart Franklin - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk was full of praise for the whole Liverpool team after a comfortable 3-0 win over Marseille. But he reserved a special mention for one under-the-radar performer.
Dominik Szoboszlai broke the deadlock with a clever free kick under the wall, ensuring Liverpool went in ahead at the break. From there, scares were kept to a minimum, and Jeremie Frimpong removed any remaining jitters when he forced an own goal off Geronimo Rulli.
Substitute Cody Gakpo put the icing on the cake in stoppage time. But Van Dijk's attentions after the match were focused on a fellow member of his back line.
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It was a defense with a slightly different look to it, with Ibrahima Konate absent for personal reasons. That meant Joe Gomez came into the side alongside Van Dijk, with Frimpong and Milos Kerkez in the wide areas.
"First and foremost my thoughts are with [Konate]," Van Dijk told TNT Sports after the game. (Our thoughts go with him too as he takes time away from the team.)
"But I've played with Joe many times," Van Dijk continued. "It helps that we are very good friends as well.
"I think he was outstanding. The third goal he was the one who started it all off.
"Pleased for him and pleased for the whole team, everyone put a shift in. That's how it should be, especially if you play for Liverpool."
Marseille's Gabonese forward #97 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (L) and Liverpool's English defender #02 Joe Gomez fight for the ball during the UEFA Champions League, league phase day 7, football match between Olympique de Marseille (OM) and Liverpool FC at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, southern France, on January 21, 2026.
Joe Gomez had an impressive night for Liverpool against Marseille.(Image: Thibaud MORITZ / AFP via Getty Images)
The game devolved into quite an open contest in the second half. But it's testament to Gomez and the rest of the back line that Liverpool rarely looked too vulnerable on the break.
And as Van Dijk pointed out, his defensive partner was also proactive in exploiting the extra space. He found the right pass in stoppage time, ultimately enabling Gakpo to run through and emphatically wrap things up.
It seems as though every time he plays in his native position, Gomez reminds us all of just how good he is. The Marseille game saw a reprise of the center-half pairing that guided Liverpool to the title in 2019/20, and there was at least a shadow of that old assurance.
Joe Gomez, Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool celebrate with The Premier League trophy following the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC at Anfield on July 22, 2020 in Liverpool, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors.
Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk were critical to Liverpool's first Premier League title triumph.(Image: Phil Noble/Pool via Getty Images)
That's not to say that Konate will lose his place when he returns. But while he's likely to be back with the group soon, his longer-term future remains up in the air, with a contract still not agreed amid a looming summer expiry.
And one point that has been lost among those discussions is the potential role that Gomez still has to play. There's been a lot of talk about missing out on Marc Guehi, and the double blow of failing to add an elite homegrown player, but perhaps Arne Slot already has someone who ticks those same boxes.
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It's clear that Liverpool still needs to recruit in the summer. For all Gomez's qualities, he will never be entirely reliable from an injury standpoint, and Van Dijk himself will be turning 35.
But when sketching out what the future back line looks like, the captain has issued a timely reminder that Gomez could well be a part of the picture. He has all of the qualities, and he showed them again vs Marseille.