The captain scored a late winner against West Ham but the expected announcement of his new contract could have even greater significance

Virgil van Dijk seemed to have cost Liverpool two points when he got tangled up with Andy Robertson, leading to a soft equalizer for West Ham. However, just three minutes later, he was at the other end of the pitch,

For over an hour, he was shaping up as the match-winner. Instead, Van Dijk was. “A big relief,” sighed Slot. Liverpool’s corners had been unimpressive, both over the afternoon and much of the campaign. But he was able to add: “We saved a big set-piece for a very important moment.”