Virgil van Dijk silences all doubts to finally get what he deserves at Liverpool

As the home fans inside the Estadio de la Ceramica bounced with delight and the Villarreal players celebrated around him, the television cameras cut to Virgil van Dijk.

The Liverpool defender was furious, glancing around at the jubilation in the stands and his dishevelled team-mates before loudly exclaiming his frustration at what was becoming an alarming night.

Francis Coquelin, meanwhile, was doing a near lap of the stadium as he pointed repeatedly to an imaginary watch on his wrist. Less than 41 minutes in, the Spanish side had wiped out the Reds' two-goal advantage and were on the brink of a great European comeback.

Van Dijk - wearing the captain's armband with Jordan Henderson starting on the bench - had been one of the few Reds players to approach anything like his normal level during a tumultuous first half. But even the Dutchman, while ably assisted by centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate, couldn't stop the Yellow Submarine flooding forward. Liverpool were in danger of sinking.

Gallery: Players we wished had played in the Premier League (but didn't) (FourFourTwo)

Coquelin, though, was right to point out the time. There was still a second half to play and, with Jurgen Klopp's personnel changes and tactical reminders thoroughly vindicated, Van Dijk's calm assurance at the back and aerial dominance provided the foundation for Liverpool to complete a remarkable turnaround.

So it was a very different Van Dijk that greeted the final whistle, thrusting his hands into the air in exhausted delight before trotting over to the away end to celebrate Liverpool's recovery and another Champions League final. It was not dissimilar to his immediate reaction when, at the penultimate hurdle, Roma in 2018 and Barcelona 12 months