Rio Ferdinand picks sides after Virgil van Dijk comes under fire: 'Are you crazy?'

Rio Ferdinand has leapt to the defence of Virgil van Dijk. The stoic Liverpool centre-half faced criticism for his performance in the Community Shield last week.

That was after he conceded a penalty which allowed Crystal Palace to claw their way back into the game. The Reds ultimately left Wembley trophyless following a tense penalty shootout, which saw the Eagles triumph in their maiden appearance in the contest after Dean Henderson's heroics in between the sticks.

And as a result, Van Dijk was questioned for his role in the result. However, Manchester United legend Ferdinand was quick to rush to the 34-year-old's defence.

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Speaking on his , he said: "Speaking of centre-backs who play under a lot of scrutiny, I've seen a lot of people talking about Virgil van Dijk and his performance in the Community Shield.

"Yeah, Virgil van Dijk will come off that game and then go, 'I could have made a better decision here or there.' This stage of the season before the first game of the Premier League, that's normal.

"So I don't get people saying, 'Oh, has he gone?' I'm seeing people say, 'Is he finished?' Are you crazy?" It comes as Van Dijk's defensive partner, Ibrahima Konate, was the one facing criticism during Liverpool's Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Friday night.

Despite the Reds taking a 2-0 lead at Anfield courtesy of strikes from Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo, the Cherries managed to draw level with less than 15 minutes remaining after Antoine Semenyo's brace.

The 25-year-old's stunning equaliser particularly drew the ire of Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, who slammed Konate after the typically reliable defender was caught out of position as Semenyo charged towards Alisson's goal before firing home.

The Liverpool icon was heard saying: "And this Liverpool team is far too open. What is Konate doing? Oh my God, he's been absolutely shocking tonight, Konate."

The home fans were left breathing a sigh of relief as substitute Federico Chiesa smashed home a stunning volley with just two minutes remaining, marking his first-ever Premier League goal. The celebrations didn't stop there, as Mohamed Salah put the cherry on top four minutes into extra time, slicing through from the left before neatly slotting the ball past Djordje Petrovic and into the bottom right corner.

The match was somewhat overshadowed by an alleged racist comment made to Semenyo from a member of the crowd during the first half. And there were emotional scenes before, during and after as tributes were paid to the late Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva.

With their next outing not until Monday, August 25, against Newcastle United at St James' Park, Arne Slot and his Liverpool squad now have ample time to regroup and recharge, as well as iron out any flaws that could've proved costly against Bournemouth.

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