Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk has blamed his side’s poor first half outing at Anfield for the loss they suffered to Manchester City in the latest iteration of the two giants clashing in the Premier League.
Van Dijk watched on as he and his teammates were powerless to prevent Man City from taking home all three points from the game despite going ahead.
Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stunning free kick that is surely a contender for goal of the season in the 74th minute, but City, who had had control of the entire game, pulled one back in the 84th minute through their captain Bernardo Silva. Erling Haaland would step up to the spot to bury a penalty shortly after to claim all three points.
Liverpool also avoided a dagger to the heart in the dying minutes of the game thanks to a confusing referee decision to rule out a Rayan Cherki goal for a Szoboszlai foul in the goal’s buildup.
Van Dijk believes that his side’s play in the first half put them at a disadvantage in the game, even though they were able to rally a bit in the second half.
“First half I think they were much more comfortable on the ball,” he began. “We were obviously trying to be more direct, trying to put the problem on their half… because we knew they were looking to get it to our right side and go from there.
“And I think we weren’t good enough in the first half. Second half I think we were much better, much more dominance on the ball as well at times, and obviously score a worldie of a free-kick.
“I think then obviously they will come out more and press even more than they [usually] do and [they] score the equaliser. I think between the equaliser and penalty moment both teams tried to – in my opinion right now, others may have a different opinion – go for the winner, and the penalty moment decides the game. That’s the feeling I am having.”
He then spoke on the team’s performances over time, which have been inconsistent. The Reds marched to the Premier League title last season with dominance but have found themselves wanting in many games this season, leading to both avoidable and unavoidable losses this season.
“I’m not sure [about our improvement],” he said. “It’s still a process,
“I’ve mentioned it many times. I think the second half felt maybe a little bit like a step up. First half, we were still not fully in control and could have done better, should have done better.
“But obviously you go in at half-time still 0-0, you speak with each other, come out much better second half, go 1-0 up and then it’s obviously a different game and you have to handle that as well – and like I said, unfortunately today the penalty moment was the deciding moment and that is the reality.”Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk has blamed his side’s poor first half outing at Anfield for the loss they suffered to Manchester City in the latest iteration of the two giants clashing in the Premier League.
Van Dijk watched on as he and his teammates were powerless to prevent Man City from taking home all three points from the game despite going ahead.
Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stunning free kick that is surely a contender for goal of the season in the 74th minute, but City, who had had control of the entire game, pulled one back in the 84th minute through their captain Bernardo Silva. Erling Haaland would step up to the spot to bury a penalty shortly after to claim all three points.
Liverpool also avoided a dagger to the heart in the dying minutes of the game thanks to a confusing referee decision to rule out a Rayan Cherki goal for a Szoboszlai foul in the goal’s buildup.
Van Dijk believes that his side’s play in the first half put them at a disadvantage in the game, even though they were able to rally a bit in the second half.
“First half I think they were much more comfortable on the ball,” he began. “We were obviously trying to be more direct, trying to put the problem on their half… because we knew they were looking to get it to our right side and go from there.
“And I think we weren’t good enough in the first half. Second half I think we were much better, much more dominance on the ball as well at times, and obviously score a worldie of a free-kick.
“I think then obviously they will come out more and press even more than they [usually] do and [they] score the equaliser. I think between the equaliser and penalty moment both teams tried to – in my opinion right now, others maybe have a different opinion – go for the winner, and the penalty moment decides the game. That’s the feeling I am having.”