Virgil van Dijk said that Curtis Jones did the right thing by challenging Abdoulaye Doucoure after the Everton midfielder celebrated the Toffees' 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby in front of Liverpool's supporters.
Doucoure taunted Reds fans after the final whistle, prompting to Jones to spring over to the 32-year-old and shove him, sparking a mass melee which ultimately led to both Jones and Doucoure being sent off.
Van Dijk was asked about the incident and defended his teammate, telling TNT Sports: "Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans and Curtis did what was the right thing to do. You know what happens when there was a tussle. The ref didn't have the game under control, I said it to him. Both teams had to deal with it. It is what it is. Take a point and move on."
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