Virgil van Dijk aims brutal dig at Arsenal less than 24 hours after Newcastle embarrassment

The Magpies introduced a new tactic by positioning centre-back Fabian Schar to cover most of the pitch and pressure Arsenal’s Declan Rice, resulting in a critical mistake by Rice that led to the second goal.

Post-match, several Newcastle players emphasized the importance of ‘staying humble’ ahead of the final, echoing a phrase Manchester City’s Erling Haaland used towards Mikel Arteta after their 2-2 draw with Arsenal earlier in the season.

This phrase gained renewed attention when Arsenal thrashed City 5-1 on Sunday, with Gunners players making digs at Haaland after the game.

As Liverpool prepared to face Spurs at Anfield, starting 1-0 down on aggregate, Reds captain Van Dijk highlighted the importance of humility in his programme notes.

He said: “As I have said many times before, this game is all about consistency, about showing up every day, every week.

“If you do that, and if you continue to work hard and stay calm and humble, and treat every opponent with the utmost respect, then you can be successful.”

Although it’s not definitively confirmed that the ‘humble’ remark was intended as a jab at Arsenal, many fans are convinced it was.

One fan wrote on social media: “Even Van Dijk is talking about ‘staying humble’.”

A second said: “This trend has been crazy.”

And a third claimed: “‘Treat every opponent with the utmost respect’ he knows exactly what he’s doing.”