‘Very disappointing’ – Virgil van Dijk on Liverpool defeat at Arsenal

Liverpool’s struggles in the Premier League continued as Arsenal defeated them 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. 

The Reds made a terrible start and conceded their first goal after 58 seconds with Gabriel Martinelli the scorer. 

However, the Merseyside club responded well and soon levelled the scores through Darwin Nunez’s brilliant goal.  

Bukayo Saka restored the Gunners’ lead at the very end of the first half only for the visitors to find the equaliser once again. 

However, Jurgen Klopp’s side returned empty-handed from the Emirates after Saka struck the winner from the spot in the 76th minute. 

Virgil van Dijk called it ‘a very tough game’ but expressed huge disappointment with the result. 

He said (as per the club’s official website): “Very disappointing. Obviously, it was a very tough game for both sides.

“We had good moments, we had bad moments and it got decided by a penalty that from our point of view wasn’t a penalty.

“It’s gone so quick – I have no idea how it looked in slow motion, but unfortunately we couldn’t get the points to bring with us back to Liverpool.”

Van Dijk has been a hugely important figure at Liverpool in recent years. 

Known for his strength, leadership and aerial dominance, the Dutchman is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. 

Since his arrival at Anfield in 2018, he has made 193 appearances across all competitions for the Merseyside club with 17 goals to his name. 

However, Van Dijk wasn’t at his best against the Gunners today. The 31-year-old didn’t do anything particularly disastrous but his usual authority at the back was lacking.

He had 85 touches in the game and completed 89.2 percent of his passes. The defender also made four clearances in the match (as per WhoScored).