Van Dijk and Alisson repeat same gesture to Liverpool fans in Milan | OneFootball

A routine European night turned into something far more symbolic as Liverpool’s leaders delivered gestures that told their own story.

Alisson gesture highlights Liverpool unity amid Salah suspension

The club’s post-match footage on X showed Virgil van Dijk tapping the badge on his chest towards the travelling support after completing his media duties at San Siro.

Moments earlier, in Amazon Prime Video Sport’s live interview with Andy Robertson, Alisson could be seen applauding the away end before beating his chest in almost identical fashion.

Those actions might appear small, but after the most turbulent week of the 47-year-old head coach’s Liverpool reign, they meant everything.

Mo Salah was left at home following his public comments after the 3–3 draw at Leeds, comments that earned him a temporary removal from team activities.

It forced senior figures to front up to questions all week, including the Brazilian goalkeeper, who had already said “as Liverpool players we want what’s best for the club” when speaking about the situation in his pre-match press duties.

That pressure could easily have overwhelmed the squad, yet the win in Italy told a very different story.

After the game, our boss appreciated the away end “being there for each other” and fighting through difficult circumstances, something he felt was crucial in keeping the group focused.

The unity he spoke about was exactly what we saw from the captain and the goalkeeper in Milan too.

Liverpool win again without Salah as Slot considers next step

The result showed how professional we were, with Dominik Szoboszlai’s 88th-minute penalty ending an 18-match unbeaten Champions League home run for the Italian side.

We had lost six of the last seven with the Egyptian forward involved, yet we’re unbeaten in four without him starting – with only a freak deflection against Sunderland and a self-inflicted collapse at Elland Road stopping us from taking maximum points.

Inter’s long unbeaten run falling, two clean sheets in four, and a leap back into the fight for qualification all demonstrate one thing: the squad is still fighting for the Dutchman, regardless of how the relationship between the Egyptian-born forward and the manager currently feels.

It remains sad that supporters are almost being pushed into choosing a side, Salah or Slot, when nights like this show the club must be pulling together, not drifting apart.

The gestures from Van Dijk and Alisson made it clear that the dressing room stands together, a message that will matter heading into Brighton.

Now the question is whether the Egyptian is restored to the squad before AFCON or whether another omission edges him closer to a permanent exit.

What is certain is that unity won this game and the signs from Milan suggest we are beginning to head back towards where we expect to be.

You can watch Slot’s post-Inter Milan press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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