According to a report by Metro on Thursday, October 29, 2026, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was left furious after a physical confrontation with Chelsea striker Emmanuel Emegha during Wednesday's Carabao Cup fourth-round encounter at Anfield.

the Netherlands international confronted referee Darren England after Emegha barged into him off the ball during Liverpool's penalty shootout victory over Chelsea.

The encounter finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Morgan Rogers scoring from the penalty spot for Chelsea before Cody Gakpo equalised for Liverpool.

The tie was eventually decided by a penalty shootout, with Liverpool securing qualification for the quarter-finals, where they will face Bournemouth.

However, Emegha's second-half introduction attracted attention after the Chelsea forward collided forcefully with Van Dijk just two minutes after coming on for Danny Welbeck in the 68th minute.

The impact sent the Liverpool defender to the ground, prompting a visibly angry reaction from the experienced centre-back.

Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, speaking during Sky Sports' coverage, described the incident as unusual.

"He just carried on [running], very strange from the substitute, Van Dijk had something to say about that afterwards," Smith said.

Referee England decided against punishing Emegha for the incident, but Van Dijk subsequently approached the official to express his frustration.

According to lip-reader Nicola Hickling, who analysed the exchange for Metro, Van Dijk delivered a stern message to the referee about the Chelsea striker.

"No, no, no. I am done with him and anything to do with football. He better give up."

Van Dijk was substituted shortly afterwards, with Jeremy Jacquet replacing the Liverpool captain.

Emegha previously played alongside Van Dijk for the Netherlands national team on two occasions last year.

The 23-year-old joined Chelsea from Strasbourg in a €25 million (£21 million) transfer during the summer.

The striker arrived at Stamford Bridge after scoring 31 goals in 78 appearances for Strasbourg, another club owned by BlueCo.

However, a hamstring injury sustained in July delayed his start to the season, and his appearance against Liverpool marked his official debut for Chelsea.

With Joao Pedro sidelined by a knee injury, Emegha could now compete for a place in Chelsea's squad for Saturday's Premier League meeting with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.