Virgil van Dijk was left red in the face after giving away a ridiculous penalty during Liverpool’s humiliating defeat against PSV Eindhoven.
It was vital that the Reds started well on Wednesday after taking a pummelling against Nottingham Forest at the weekend. Instead, they were behind inside five minutes.
Van Dijk could count himself almost completely to blame for that, having bizarrely decided to raise his hand in the penalty area while defending a PSV corner.
mail iconJoin our newsletter for news & smart analysis.
Who was Liverpool’s worst player against PSV Eindhoven?
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool handles the ball which later leads to a penalty to PSV Eindhoven during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 match between Liverpool FC and PSV Eindhoven at Anfield
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
The Liverpool captain felt he had been fouled by Netherlands teammate Jerdy Schouten. However, replays showed that the contact from Schouten was nowhere near enough to provoke such a reaction from Van Dijk.
PSV duly scored, and although Liverpool came back into it, it set the tone for a dismal night at Anfield which ended 4-1 to the visitors. After the game, Schouten looked back on his incident with Van Dijk, deciding to poke a little fun at his international captain.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool handles the ball which later leads to a penalty to PSV Eindhoven during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5 match between Liverpool FC and PSV Eindhoven at Anfield
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Jerdy Schouten admits to Virgil van Dijk push
Seeing a player as experienced as Van Dijk make such a rash and costly decision during the opening minutes of the game just about summed up what’s going on at Liverpool just now.
There was clearly some holding going on in the box, but it was nothing like enough to cause the Dutchman to bat the ball away in the manner he did.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
Speaking to Ziggo Sport via Voetbal International at full-time, Schouten – reportedly with a broad smile on his face – looked back on the incident.
READ MORE: Dietmar Hamann brands Mohamed Salah ‘disgraceful’ after what he did during Liverpool 1-4 PSV
“I gave him a very small push,” the 28-year-old admitted with a laugh. “But when you’re as big as Virgil, you should be able to handle that, right?”
While an admission of guilt on his part, it is hard to argue with Schouten. There is no excuse for Van Dijk’s moment of madness.
Liverpool player ratings on a dismal night against PSV Eindhoven
Looking back on the game as a whole, the PSV captain praised his team, claiming that they had done something ‘abnormal’ at Anfield.
“This is abnormal, honestly. Goosebumps. I’m so proud. Sure, they had the ball a lot, but we defended so well. We should really be proud of that,” he said.
Unfortunately for Liverpool supporters, these kinds of nights are very much becoming the norm.
Liverpool must stop damaging trend vs West Ham
Van Dijk’s brain fart meant Liverpool have now conceded the first goal of the game in each of their past three matches.
In their current abysmal 12-game run, the Reds have gone behind 10 times. That is not sustainable.
Clearly, no team want to concede first in any game, but to do it so often cannot be coincidence. There is a mentality problem and it has to be put right.
Such is football, Liverpool have another chance to bounce back in just three days against West Ham. Any errors like Van Dijk’s must be avoided at all costs.
Right now, the Reds are in such a poor place that it feels individual mistakes like these are becoming inevitable. But they are not. Van Dijk will know that, now he and his teammates must move forward and set the record straight.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox