Trent Alexander-Arnold reveals Virgil van Dijk hurt himself in wild celebrations
Match winner Trent Alexander-Arnold has revealed the damage Virgil van Dijk did to himself in the emotional celebrations that followed Liverpool's dramatic comeback against Fulham.
In a chaotic game on Sunday afternoon, the Reds trailed the visitors 3-2 with just three minutes of regular time left to play.
However, goals in quick succession from Wataru Endo and Alexander-Arnold turned the match on its head, securing victory from the jaws of defeat for Liverpool.
READ MORE: Liverpool 4-3 Fulham – Player Ratings
Though all four of the hosts goals were superb, Alexander-Arnold's 88th-minute winner may live longest in the memory for its significance and the wild celebrations it sparked.
The right back did a belly slide in the corner of the pitch and was followed by his teammates.
"I think you can see by the celebration how much it meant," Alexander-Arnold told Liverpoolfc.com, before explaining the reason for his unusual choice of celebration.
"I've got a big cut on my knee so I didn't want to risk reopening that with a knee slide so I thought I had to do something. You can see the emotion in it, how much it meant to the team and the fans."
Liverpool's vice captain also revealed that Van Dijk paid the price for abandoning his typically calm and collected manner in the celebrations.
Alexander-Arnold continued: "He's (Van Dijk) got cuts on his knees because it's the first time he's done a knee slide. For someone like him who is calm and composed to knee slide shows how much it meant to the team.
"It was massively important to stay in and around the top of the table. We've got a big week ahead of us which starts in midweek, it was good to get momentum going into that."
The right back also stressed that despite the fantastic goals and late drama, Liverpool had been left with a lot to work on defensively after conceding three times at home.
"At home, we need to be putting games away, we controlled the game but all three of the goals we conceded were sloppy," he added.
"We got punished for our sloppiness at the end of the day, it wasn't about luck, they took advantage when we were not at our best, but it was important for us to get three points."
The Reds have little time to dwell on the good and bad of Sunday's display, as they face Sheffield United next up in the Premier League on Wednesday, 6 December.