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Virgil van Dijk's brutal gesture to Richarlison reminded fans the Liverpool captain is a cold-blooded phenom.

With the Reds down 1-0 on aggregate to Tottenham going in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, Van Dijk and his teammates knew they needed a fast start in the second leg at Anfield.

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Richarlison and Virgil van Dijk came to blows multiple times in a feisty first halfCredit: Getty

Very few would have anticipated that type of start would have included some serious displays of ruthless physicality from Liverpool.

As is often the case with captains, Van Dijk certainly led the way on the physical front.

Unfortunately for Tottenham's Richarlison, he bore the brunt of it as early as the third minute.

Van Dijk and Richarlison tussled for the ball but it looked like the forward would spin away from his marker.

But Van Dijk wasn't about to let that happen and clattered into the Tottenham ace by shifting his entire body weight into the Brazilian.

However, vision appeared to show Van Dijk had thudded his elbow into Richarlison's chest as he went down in pain.

Luckily for Van Dijk, the incident was checked and cleared by VAR.

Yet it was a separate flashpoint between the two that had fans in stitches on social media.

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Richarlison was once again bundled to the ground by Van Dijk, this time from behind.

The Liverpool skipper offered his hand to help up his rival, but just as Richarlison reached out his hand, Van Dijk pulled back and ran away.

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Van Dijk brutally trolled Richarlison with a fake handshake gestureCredit: @mcfchenry on X

A handful of football supporters on X noticed the moment and offered hilarious reactions.

One user posted: "Van Dijk's absolutely done Richarlison."

Another said: "Van Dijk clowning Richarlison is absolutely brilliant."

One wrote: "Van Dijk did Richarlison dirty."

Unfortunately for Richarlison, his game lasted just 45 minutes as he was taken off after he went down to the ground.

Richarlison's exit did herald the arrival of electric French talent Mathys Tel for his Tottenham debut.

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Gakpo got Liverpool back into the tie to cap off a dominant first halfCredit: AFP

The Brazilian's substitution came after Cody Gakpo struck in the 34th minute to put Liverpool ahead on the night and level the tie at 1-1.

Gakpo's goal was a just reward for the host's efforts in the opening half as they took 11 shots to Tottenham's one.

Arne Slot's side have also enjoyed 73 per cent possession, with the visitors having to repel wave after wave of Liverpool attacks.

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