Van Dijk proves he is the real Liverpool captain and his tough message for failing to qualify for the UCL

Southampton and Liverpool met at St Mary's Stadium to conclude the Premier League, the home side knowing they were heading for relegation a few games earlier and Liverpool knowing they had no chance of fighting for Champions League places. Liverpool found themselves with victory in their grasp when they led by two goals after a quarter of an hour.

It was 0-2. First, after 10 minutes, Portugal's Diogo Jota opened the scoring when he found the winner in their opponents' outlet pressure and five minutes later it was Roberto Firmino who grabbed the second from Fabinho's pass. It was the Brazilian's last scoring service in his final game for the Reds.

Selles' side had a stupendous, proud reaction. James Ward Prowse pulled one back in the 19th minute, before Ghana's Kamal Sulemana doubled the lead. He equalised in the 28th and scored the third at the start of the second half in a great individual move. The fourth came from Adam Armstrong, two minutes after coming on for Romeo Lavia. That was as far as the home side's inspiration lasted as Jurgen Klopp's side stepped up a gear and levelled the scores. The Dutchman pulled one back in the 73rd minute and Diogo Jota again, in the 73rd, made it 4-4 after receiving the ball from Mohamed Salah.

The message

After it was confirmed that Liverpool will not play in next season's Champions League, Virgil Van Dijk showed his leadership and posted a tough message on his Instagram account: “That’s that. A season we won’t remember for much, only a few good moments. I learnt a lot on the pitch, but even more off it. From the first day of pre season we are going to work like crazy to get back to where we want to be. See you soon.”