‘There’s no point’ – Van Dijk’s response after another brutal VAR decision
Some moments speak louder in silence, and Virgil van Dijk’s reaction after Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City said everything about where we are right now.
Speaking via The Independent after the match, our captain chose restraint over rage as he addressed the latest refereeing controversy to go against us.
“In football the officials are deciding the key decisions and we have to deal with it on the pitch,” he said.
“There is no point discussing this from my point of view. The reality is that we lost 3-0 and that is a big blow.”
He continued: “It doesn’t matter what I say [about the goal] because anything I say will be in the media and the whole international break will be about my comment on the decision.
“I just focus on the fact we lost. You guys can debate if it should have stood.”
Van Dijk shows restraint as frustration grows
Van Dijk’s words came after Arne Slot called out the “clear” wrong decision that was made against us, referenced Chris Kavanagh’s previous decisions and the clear double standards that continue to hurt us.
That particular flashpoint came when the Dutch defender thought he’d levelled the game at 1-1, only for the flag to go up because Andy Robertson was deemed to be obstructing Gianluigi Donnarumma – despite clear evidence to the contrary.
Liverpool’s patience running thin
While Van Dijk’s calm response showed leadership, it also hinted at growing fatigue within the squad when it comes to officiating debates.
We’ve now seen multiple high-impact calls go against us this season, and his refusal to “make it about the referee” feels like the stance of a captain trying to shield his side from further distraction.
For all the noise around the disallowed goal, the bigger issue remains that Liverpool were second-best at the Etihad and both Van Dijk and Slot know that has to change fast.
You can view Slot’s post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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