Virgil van Dijk learns FA ban outcome for incident with Anthony Gordon in Liverpool vs Newcastle

Virgil van Dijk collides with Anthony

Virgil van Dijk will not be subject to any retrospective punishment by the Football Association for his off-the-ball collision with Anthony Gordon in Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Newcastle United. Gordon was felled by the Reds captain after a coming-together in the 38th minute.

Caoimhin Kelleher had just spared the blushes of Joe Gomez, whose poor back pass led to Gordon’s unconverted one-on-one opportunity. As the goalkeeper collected the rebound from his initial save, Van Dijk’s shoulder made contact with the Newcastle winger as he crossed paths.

Nothing was given by on-field referee Andy Madley at the time. The incident was flagged and checked by the VAR for a red card review but it was judged that the collision was an innocuous exchange and not a clear and obvious error.

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Given the VAR officials checked the footage and cleared it, the FA cannot enforce any retrospective punishment. Ahead of the new season, the Premier League outlined that only incidents “not captured by the match officials or VAR can be referred to the FA’s retrospective disciplinary

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said he was “surprised” by the decision to wave away protests but stated: “I think VAR looked at [it] and concluded nothing happened. So we have to accept it.”

Appearing on the Stick to Football watchalong live stream on Wednesday night, Ian Wright suggested Van Dijk was sinister in his actions. “He knows exactly what he’s doing. That’s a pen,” he said, while former Manchester United captain Roy Keane concurred: “That’s a penalty.”

Van Dijk was sent off in the fixture last season after being judged to have denied Alexander Isak an obvious goalscoring opportunity, and was subsequently fined £100,000 for comments he made towards officials. Van Dijk has received just one yellow card in 14 Premier League games this season.