Virgil van Dijk gestured towards referee Chris Kavanagh during Liverpool’s match against Arsenal because he was upset by an officiating call.

After fouling Gabriel Jesus, Liverpool supporters think that Virgil van Dijk asked the referee, Chris Kavanagh, a startling question about his drinking habits.

Liverpool drew 1-1 with Arsenal at Anfield in a result that keeps Mikel Arteta’s side top at Christmas

Virgil van Dijk was fuming with referee Chris Kavanaugh

Supporters believe the captain of Liverpool questioned the referee about his drinking.

The captain of Liverpool, who played the entire ninety minutes in the 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool at Anfield, puts Mikel Arteta’s team above at Christmas. The Reds are still second in the standings, but a victory on Saturday (December 23) would have allowed them to pass their competitors.

The two elite teams engaged in a hard-fought encounter, but Van Dijk’s annoyance nearly overcame him in the end.

The 32-year-old was incensed by Chris Kavanagh’s judgement after it was determined that the Dutch skipper had fouled Jesus on the halfway line during the second half. Cameras captured Van Dijk’s response, in which he seemed to inquire about the referee’s drinking history—even making a gesture towards a drink.

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A video of Van Dijk’s response went viral on social media, sparking an instant response from fans. “Van Dijk has just asked the referee if he’s been drinking?” remarked one X user. “Van Dijk’s just asked the ref what he’s drinking and not been booked for it, by the way,” said one commenter.

A third spectator questioned, “No yellow?,” looking shocked that the captain of Liverpool had escaped a booking. How peculiar.

One Liverpool supporter praised the Dutchman with the comment, “My captain, what a legend.”

Van Dijk may face charges for acting in an offensive manner towards a match official if the FA determines that he has broken the law. Over the next few days, it will become evident if the Liverpool captain is in hot water or not.

Van Dijk’s decision to avoid receiving a booking came as a surprise considering the recent crackdown on players expressing their annoyance and challenging officials. In the same game, Kavanagh showed Mohamed Salah a yellow card for arguing about a foul he was clearly guilty of committing.

Arguably the most well-known victim of the new rule has been Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot, who was shown two yellow cards just in time during last week’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool following an altercation with referee Michael Oliver.