Virgil van Dijk continues remarkable goalscoring record with Carabao Cup winner

Virgil van Dijk once again showcased his quality in both penalty areas during Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final. 

The impenetrable centre-back produced the crucial winning goal in the 118th minute of the showdown at Wembley on Sunday, heading Kostas Tsimikas' corner beyond the outstretched right arm of Djordje Petrovic.

The red half of Wembley was sent wild by the Dutchman's towering header, as they had been in the second half of normal time when he rose highest at a free kick to give Liverpool the lead, only for the goal to eventually be ruled out for offside.

However, Virgil van Dijk was equally as eye-catching in his own half on Sunday, winning every ball tossed up towards the head of Nicolas Jackson, and clearing the majority of Chelsea's crosses into the box, either aerially or with his feet.

But, quite naturally, his heroics in the Chelsea penalty area will be the headline, with Van Dijk continuing a remarkable goalscoring record with his strike in the capital.

According to Opta, the 32-year-old has won all 21 games in which he has scored for the Reds, a quite astonishing record that was added to this Sunday.

That run of goals includes efforts against Everton, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, and is the most games a Liverpool player has scored in while winning every single one of them.

The Liverpool skipper also became the oldest ever player to score for Reds in a Wembley final, going on to lift his first trophy as the club's captain.

Van Dijk had scored against Luton Town last Wednesday, a pivotal goal in a 4-1 win at Anfield, meaning he's netted in consecutive matches for the first time in his Liverpool career.

The Dutch international's display earned him the official Carabao Cup Player of the Match award for the victory against Chelsea, the third time he has won such an award in a major final for Liverpool.

The other two came during the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham and the 2022 Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.

Van Dijk needs just two more goals to match his best ever scoring season for the Reds (2018/19 with six goals) and Liverpool will be hopeful that their lucky charm gets himself on the scoresheet regularly throughout the remainder of the campaign.