Liverpool was held to a painful 1-1 stalemate by Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, preventing them from taking back the top spot in the Premier League.

Alexis Mac Allister’s penalty in the first half had kept John Stones’ opener alive, but the Reds wasted numerous chances to take the lead in the second half.

Throughout the game, Jurgen Klopp’s team was in control and aggressive in the press, scoring 2.46 xG compared to City’s 1.61, but they were only able to settle for a draw.

Although Mac Allister, who scored the equaliser from the penalty spot, gave an excellent performance in the middle of the park, Virgil van Dijk, the German manager’s captain, was the true star of the show.

Stats of Virgil van Dijk against Manchester City

At the centre of Liverpool’s defensive, van Dijk was the true star of the show as the Reds’ player of the match, playing nearly flawlessly the entire time.

With the exception of one instance in which Erling Haaland took away his possession in the first half, the Netherlands international personified the team’s aggressive and commanding play.

With 93 total touches of the ball, the former Southampton titan was incredibly dependable with it as he completed 97% (77/79) of his attempted passes, including six of his seven long pass attempts.

With four tackles and four interceptions, van Dijk’s defensive efforts helped to stop City’s assaults and he won five of his eight duels.

He masterfully marshalled Haaland, the last man, into a feeble attempt on goal after the Norway international appeared to have an open run on goal. He also made two last-man tackles to save the rest of his defence after they had been evaded.

According to these numbers, van Dijk was superior against Mac Allister, who occasionally acted carelessly, both in and out of possession throughout the game because of his composure under pressure and defensive dominance.