Virgil van Dijk has defended Andy Robertson after the Scotland international was sent off in Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Fulham
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Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield
(Image: Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk has defended Andy Robertson after he was sent off in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Fulham. The Scotland international was handed his marching orders after just 17 minutes for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.
The Reds will be without the left-back for their midweek trip to Southampton in the League Cup quarter-finals as he serves a one-match suspension. Robertson has come in for criticism in some sections following the red card, with onlookers pointing towards his sub-par performances at times this season.
The player himself publicly admitted that people had ‘written me off’ after a difficult showing against Arsenal back in October.
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However, Van Dijk pointed to the knee injury that Robertson had suffered in the first minute against Fulham as he shared his hope that his fellow defender could avoid an extended stint on the sidelines.
“Of course (I feel sympathy for him). How good was he in midweek?” Van Dijk told reporters including the ECHO, referencing Robertson’s man of the match performance against Girona in Liverpool’s previous game.
“That moment, the first one where he gets the kick on the knee - hopefully it isn't a big injury - that's a dangerous one and in the moments after it happened it is not easy for him or all of us.
“But we are there for him, like always, and he has been so good for us and he will be still for us. Hopefully no bad injury and he can be back in the team and be good again.”
Robertson’s red card prompted Ryan Gravenberch to play as a makeshift centre-back for the majority of Liverpool’s draw with Fulham, and leaves Arne Slot facing a shortage of defenders for Wednesday’s League Cup trip to Southampton.
Van Dijk was left impressed by his fellow Netherlands international’s performance, and hinted that Slot might have to be creative again against the Saints - with the Reds captain also likely to be needed against his former club as a result of Robertson's suspension and the club's defensive injuries.
“Very good,” he said of Gravenberch. “Obviously it is a very difficult position to play but he did it well. He is in fantastic shape and we need him to stay fit, in the best shape.
“We tried Ryan next to me, Trent a little bit more in the middle, so it was a couple of things. Eventually we found one structure and we kept it.
“I think on the ball we were patient and kept trying and tried to press but we had a man less and at times you get played past. But it is all about the will and how much you want to run back and defend together in order not to concede. At the end you try to take a bit more risk but you get twice the reward for it.
“Let's see what happens on Wednesday. I don't know, maybe the manager has to be creative.
“The injuries that are there we have to accept and deal with, unfortunate of course, but hopefully things will change and players will come back as soon as possible in the best way.”
Liverpool ultimately earned a share of the spoils thanks to a well-taken equaliser from Diogo Jota. It took the Portuguese only six minutes to get his name on the scoresheet as he made his first appearance in two months after suffering an impact injury to his upper body against Chelsea back in October.
And Van Dijk was delighted for his team-mate as he admitted how important it will be for the Reds if Jota can stay fit for the rest of the season.
“Very pleased for him, very pleased for all of us,” he said. “I think he was very good when he came on in that false nine/number 10-ish, very lively and that's what he brings to the team.
“Hopefully he can stay fit and be important for us like he has been in the past. We need everyone to be in top shape, we need everyone to be available.
“You see the injuries we have and it's not easy but everyone has to look after themselves in order to be ready and be important for the rest of the season. It's not an easy job but it's what everyone is trying to do.”
Liverpool twice came from behind against Fulham despite playing with 10 men for the majority, and, in truth, will feel aggrieved that they did not walk away with all three points.
Given Slot had previously been unimpressed with the Reds’ performance in their 1-0 win over Girona, Van Dijk believes Liverpool offered the perfect response against the Cottagers - even if the win ultimately alluded them - with it not in their DNA to settle for a point.
“There was so much time left on the clock and we have enough quality in the team to punish opponents when we have the chance,” he said. “But it was a lot more difficult than it already was, but we had to keep going for ourselves and everyone connected with Liverpool.
“The fans pushed us as well and we tried everything. We could have taken three points, if I'm absolutely honest, but it is what it is and we have to focus on Wednesday.
“That game particularly (against Girona) we started well, then let it go into a basketball game when we could have controlled the game.
“It's about how much you want to sprint back and how good is our press and especially those two things weren't at our standards and we spoke about it, we've seen clips about it and that's a good thing because then you learn from it.
“The will and the resilience was a good sign (against Fulham) and we had to take a little bit of a risk to get a result so at times the pitch will be wide open.
“It's a brave thing to do but it was the right thing to do because we have the quality to hurt opponents even with 10 men. It's still a bit of a risk but we got the rewards from it and that's the main thing.”