Liverpool manager Arne Slot and defender Virgil van Dijk have put the responsibility for the club’s loss against Manchester United and current form on the players. The Reds fell to a 2-1 defeat on Sunday, meaning it’s now four defeats in a row.
United opened the scoring after just in just the second minute with Bryan Mbeumo firing past Georgi Mamardashvili. The Reds worked hard to draw level and got its reward through Cody Gakpo in the 78th minute.
There was, however, another sting in the tail with Harry Maguire heading United back in front with just six minutes left on the clock. That turned out to be the winning goal.
There was some controversy in terms of refereeing decisions, with Liverpool unhappy at the game not being stopped in the build-up to United’s opening goal. Alexis Mac Allister was down with a head injury after a clash in the middle of the pitch, referee Michael Oliver played on with Mbeumo going on to score.
The Reds also had a shout for a penalty when the ball struck the hand of United winger Amad Diallo in the penalty area. However, a VAR check concluded that his arm was in a natural position.
Slot was asked about both incidents following the game, but didn’t want to make ‘excuses’ for the defeat. He instead pointed to his team’s performance and not taking chances.
"If you lose a game of football, especially after you have lost four, maybe you should have the emotion in the game," Slot said post match. "But I should not talk about that in that moment of time. No excuses.
"We've had more than enough chances to score a goal when we didn't need that penalty. Yes or no. I don't want to talk about that. We had so many chances, we need to score more. And if you are 1-1 and the game is completely there for you and you have to defend one set piece, then we have to defend it better than we did.
Virgil van Dijk during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield.
Virgil van Dijk agrees with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on the defeat against Man United. (Image: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
"This is something we have to work on. And there's emotion in the game about decisions. Every manager has this. But I will not talk about this."
Club captain Virgil van Dijk took a similar stance. Reflecting on the opening goal, the defender refused to speak about the referee’s decision to play on.
"I think the ball went long, first header was a United player, second by me,"he said. "My elbow hit the player and he goes down and I went down. That angle it was difficult to score and he did.
"There was plenty of football left to be played [and score] and we didn't. We need to stay humble and stay working and keep our confidence as high as possible.
"When things get tough, it is important we keep the mentality of being there for each other. It is a long season."
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