Liverpool endured a frustrating night in their last meeting with Aston Villa, leading Virgil van Dijk to publicly highlight a mistake from one of his team-mates
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk blamed one of his Liverpool teammates after a game last season
View 3 Images
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk pinned the blame on one of his team-mates after the Reds failed to win their last game against Aston Villa. Liverpool host Unai Emery’s side at Anfield this weekend as the club look to get their league season back on track.
In February, Mohamed Salah gave Arne Slot ’s team the lead at Villa Park but the home side soon responded with a quick-fire double from Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins before half-time. Trent Alexander-Arnold helped Liverpool get back level shortly after the hour mark, but substitute Darwin Nunez squandered Liverpool’s best chance to claim three points.
The striker was provided with a golden opportunity just a few minutes after entering the pitch as Dominik Szoboszlai managed to get in behind Villa’s defence. Szoboszlai drew Emi Martinez’s attention before passing across the box to leave Nunez with an open goal six yards out, but the Uruguayan blazed the ball over the crossbar.
Liverpool had to settle for a point at full-time, extending their lead at the top of the table to eight points. However, Van Dijk felt that the Reds had allowed two points to slip through their fingers, referencing Nunez’s miss in his post-match interview.
"We are a bit disappointed but we fight. We had chances to win the game, took a bit of a risk at the end - so it got more open at times," Van Dijk said.
"In possession we did quite well, created good opportunities to score the second. Disappointing to concede from a set-piece. We tried everything and unfortunately it wasn't enough for three points.
"We should have scored 3-2, but credit to Aston Villa, they made it very difficult. We have a very tough one on the weekend again, then we play Newcastle, our focus now will be on Man City, a very difficult game, we know that. We have done everything in our power to win games - and the focus will be that on Sunday."
Liverpool boss Slot also aired his frustrations with Nunez after the game, but his criticism was directed at the striker’s work rate after his shocking miss. The manager argued that he had no issue with the miss but felt Nunez had allowed the incident to affect his overall game.
Darwin Nunez misses a chance against Aston Villa
Darwin Nunez missed from close range against Aston Villa in February
View 3 Images
"It is not the chance but the 20 minutes afterwards that I will talk to Darwin about," Slot explained. "Yes, I will tell him that [he still has a major part to play] as well. I will tell him that you can miss a chance but you cannot miss out on work rate.
"That is the life of a striker, he will miss chances and score some. It is part of the job of a No.9, you miss when people expect you to score. It is not part of the job of a No.9 to slow down in work rate. And that is something we will talk about."
He added: "I can accept misses but what is harder for me to accept is his behaviour after the chance. It got too much in his head, he was not the usual Darwin who works his backside off and makes sure he helps the team. He was too disappointed he missed that.
Arne Slot and Darwin Nunez
Arne Slot criticised Darwin Nunez for other aspects of his performance against Villa
View 3 Images
"I always truly believe it is always best to have Wata’s (Wataru Endo) mindset. For the whole season he does not complain, keeps on going and keeps on going, whenever we need him he is ready. That is very difficult and there are not many players that can do this."
Nunez was forced to settle for a reduced role in his sole season under Slot, making only eight starts in 30 league appearances and scoring five goals. The 26-year-old was sold to Al-Hilal for an initial £46million in the summer.
Liverpool will hope to make the most of their chances against Villa this time around as the reigning champions aim to end their four-game losing run in the Premier League. However, the Reds have a tough task against Villa, who have won their last four league matches after a slow start to the campaign.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Content Image
Content Image