Everton manager, Frank Lampard, has given his verdict on Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk’s dangerous tackle on Amadou Onana following both sides’ Premier League 0-0 draw on Saturday.
Lampard insisted that Van Dijk should have been shown a red card for his tackle on Onana in the goalless Premier League derby on Saturday afternoon.
Van Dijk caught Onana with a late, high challenge in the second half of Everton’s clash with Liverpool, but after referee Anthony Taylor booked the Liverpool defender, VAR decided not to recommend the official look at a replay.
Speaking on the incident, Lampard said at his post-match press conference: “I love Virgil van Dijk, as a player, he is fantastic, but sometimes you mistime tackles, and they are bad.
“He caught Onana on the shin when my player’s foot was on the ground, and I am surprised it hasn’t gone to VAR.
“There was talk about bad tackles in derby matches beforehand, and the referee just had a job to do, and I think he and VAR got that one wrong.
“For me, it was a red card and that changed the face of the last 20 minutes. Virgil was fortunate, absolutely.”
The result leaves Lampard’s men in the 16th position on the Premier League table with four points from six games.