FA make van Dijk charge decision following the incident involving Havertz’s kick…

FA has made a ruling on the charge against van Dijk in light of the kick from Havertz.

Following Havertz’s kick, the FA has determined the course of action regarding van Dijk’s charge.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk will not face any retrospective punishment for an off-the-ball incident involving Arsenal’s Kai Havertz during their 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.

According to The Times, Van Dijk has dismissed suggestions that he should have received a red card for kicking Havertz, stating that such occurrences are simply “part and parcel of the game.”

The incident occurred in the sixth minute when Havertz fell to the ground after a confrontation with Van Dijk.

The Liverpool defender first pushed Havertz with his right arm and then seemingly kicked him twice with his left leg.

Despite the nature of the incident, referee Anthony Taylor took no action, allowing Van Dijk to later score Liverpool’s first equalizer from a corner taken by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Arsenal had taken the lead twice in the match, with goals from Bukayo Saka and Mikel Merino, but Liverpool managed to equalize, with Mohamed Salah securing a point for the visitors after Jurrien Timber was forced off due to injury.

Van Dijk downplayed the controversy surrounding his early encounter with Havertz, asserting, “It is a physical game, and these things happen.”

“Havertz touched Van Dijk, so it is acceptable for him to kick back. He is Van Dijk, the best defender in the Premier League. He can do as he pleases.”

– Dermot Gallagher

Liverpool currently holds a four-point lead over Arsenal in the Premier League standings and is only one point shy of Manchester City, who are at the top.

Following the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta voiced his disappointment, believing that his team failed to take full advantage of their chances in the first half.

“It should have been a larger margin in the first half,” Arteta remarked. “They came out stronger in the second half, and we lacked the necessary courage.”

Arsenal now trails Manchester City by five points and must find a way to regain their momentum to remain competitive in the title race.