"He deserves it" - Virgil van Dijk on Kostas Tsimikas' winning penalty

Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk was delighted to see Reds left-back Kostas Tsimikas score the winning penalty in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium last Saturday.

The fixture between Liverpool and Chelsea ended in a 0-0 draw after extra-time. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp brought Tsimikas on to replace Andy Robertson after 111 minutes of action.

Come the shootout, the Greece international was calm and composed, which ultimately allowed him to score the decisive penalty.

Van Dijk was thrilled for Tsimikas post-game.

As quoted by Anfield Watch on Twitter, the Dutchman told the club's official website the following: "Everyone is definitely part of this whole campaign. You think of the young boys in the beginning, the players who don't play as much in the league, for him (Tsimikas) to get the winning penalty is just great. He deserves it, he works hard.

"The only thing for him is that he's got one of the best left-backs in the world in front of him, but that's a good sign of a great team as well. We need each other to push each other, so let's keep that going.

"We have to enjoy this a little bit, (as) difficult (as) that will be because we have Southampton away on Tuesday. We'll see."

Anfield Watch Verdict

We completely agree with Van Dijk's comments. It was nice to see a squad player be the hero.

It can't be easy sitting on the bench for the majority of the season. But, Tsimikas' hard work has finally paid off.

The left-back has helped the Reds win some major silverware, so he is very much a legend of the club.

Hopefully Tsimikas, who has only been at Anfield since 2020, can add to his legacy in the years to come.