Virgil van Dijk was not too pleased with Chris Kavanagh’s officiating (Photo: Getty)
Virgil van Dijk appeared to ask referee Chris Kavanagh ‘if he had been drinking’ during Liverpool’s draw with Arsenal on Saturday.
In a crucial top of the table clash, goals from Gabriel Magalhaes and Mohamed Salah saw the points shared, meaning that the Gunners will be leading the Premier League title race at Christmas.
However, the match was not without its controversial moments, including Liverpool being denied a penalty after Martin Odegaard handled the ball in the box.
But there was one moment during the second-half involving Reds captain Van Dijk that caught the attention of fans.
The Dutch defender was adjudged to have given away a foul, with Kavanagh awarding a free-kick to the away side.
Van Dijk was visibly incensed by the decision, with the cameras catching the 32-year-old seemingly asking the official: ‘Have you been drinking?’, complete with a gesture to emphasise his point.
Surprisingly, the centre-back was not booked for dissent as has been the norm this season, as the sport looks to crack down on abuse of match officials.
Liverpool players have been shown four yellow cards for dissent so far this season, with Fulham topping that stat with 11.
Van Dijk wasn’t the only one annoyed with Kavanagh’s calls, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp mystified with the penalty that never was, telling Sky Sports: ‘I am pretty sure someone will come to explain it to me why it was not a handball but I don’t know how?
‘I don’t say that the ref can see it because I don’t know where he was in that moment. But how can a guy in an office see that and not come to the conclusion that maybe, it could be worth the referee having another look?’
More: Trending
The draw at Anfield leaves Liverpool second in the table, level on points with Aston Villa and just one behind Arsenal.
They’ll have another chance to go top when they travel to Burnley on Boxing Day before Villa visit Manchester United and Arsenal host West Ham.
MORE : Mikel Arteta claims three Arsenal players were ‘phenomenal’ against Liverpool
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.