Thierry Henry was left scrambling for excuses after Virgil van Dijk revealed the Arsenal legend didn't text him back.
The entertaining exchange took place following Liverpool's 3-2 triumph over Villarreal on Tuesday night, which secured the Reds' spot in the Champions League final next month. Jurgen Klopp 's side survived a first-half fightback from the Yellow Submarine as goals from Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin eradicated the Reds' 2-0 Anfield advantage from last week.
Goals from Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane then sent the Liverpool through in spectacular style as they secured a 5-2 aggregate success. Having helped his side progress, Van Dijk was understandably in good spirits after the match and took the opportunity to poke fun at Henry for not texting him back.
Before conducting a post-match interview with CBS, Van Dijk probed as to which pundits were in the American broadcaster's studio. Upon learning Henry was in attendance alongside Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards, the Dutchman said: "Titi? I text him but he didn't text me back. Titi, the legend."
The punditry panel could be seen chuckling as the camera cut back to the studio, where host Kate Abdo questioned why the former World Cup winner snubbed a reply. Henry responded by saying: "I actually don't have his number anymore.
"So text me... I'll go to someone else to get his number. I changed my number and when I put all my numbers on my new phone, his wasn't there."
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The revelation sparked a hilarious exchange between the pundits, as Carragher continued to poke fun at Henry. The former Liverpool defender interjected, adding: "To be fair, tonight there has been a bit of a lack of respect from Thierry.
"To Virgil van Dijk, to CBS for not wearing a tie. There's a little bit of a theme there. He's a top guy, he's shown you that respect, and you're not getting back in touch."
The Frenchman then responded by smugly saying: "He didn't text the right number. I will get him. You're actually upset because he's texting me. It's alright!"
Van Dijk has once again been integral to Liverpool's cause this season and continues to play a significant part in the Reds' quadruple charge. Victory over Villarreal means Klopp's side have qualified for their third cup final of the season, having already lifted the League Cup back in February and set up an FA Cup final date with Chelsea on May 14.
Liverpool will now face either Manchester City or Real Madrid in the Champions League showpiece in Paris on May 28. Pep Guardiola 's side carry a slender advantage into Wednesday night's second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu having edged a seven-goal Etihad epic last week.
The fourth front the Reds are still fighting on is the Premier League. Van Dijk and co. are currently one point adrift of fellow title-chasers City with only four games remaining, and can once again pile the pressure on City ahead of their match with Newcastle on Sunday, should they overcome Tottenham at Anfield on Saturday evening.
