Virgil van Dijk seemingly takes a harsh swipe at Arsenal just hours after their humiliating defeat to Newcastle.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk appears to take a subtle swipe at Arsenal following their Carabao Cup semi-final exit against Newcastle.

The Gunners were eliminated after a 4-0 aggregate defeat, with Newcastle securing a 2-0 win at St James’ Park on Wednesday. Goals from Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon sealed the victory, setting up a final clash against either Liverpool or Tottenham on March 16.

Newcastle’s tactical approach saw Fabian Schar stepping into an advanced role to press Arsenal’s Declan Rice, forcing a costly error that led to the Magpies’ second goal. After the match, several Newcastle players referenced the importance of “staying humble”—a phrase Manchester City’s Erling Haaland previously used to mock Mikel Arteta after City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal earlier this season.

The phrase gained further traction after Arsenal’s dominant 5-1 victory over City, when Gunners players took their own jabs at Haaland. Now, ahead of Liverpool’s second-leg clash with Spurs—where they trail 1-0—Van Dijk emphasized the need for humility in his matchday programme notes.

“As I have said many times before, this game is all about consistency, about showing up every day, every week,” Van Dijk wrote. “If you do that, and if you continue to work hard and stay calm and humble, and treat every opponent with the utmost respect, then you can be successful.”

While Van Dijk didn’t directly mention Arsenal, many fans believe his choice of words was a deliberate dig. Social media users quickly reacted, with one posting: “Even Van Dijk is talking about ‘staying humble’.” Another added: “This trend has been crazy,” while a third commented: “‘Treat every opponent with the utmost respect’—he knows exactly what he’

s doing.”