Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk felt Bournemouth's winner should have been disallowed, but former Reds midfielder Jamie Redknapp was on hand to immediately prove him wrong
James Findlater Content Editor
21:00, 24 Jan 2026
Virgil van Dijk looks on during Liverpool's defeat to Bournemouth
Virgil van Dijk insisted Bournemouth's winner shouldn't have stood against Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
Jamie Redknapp immediately embarrassed Virgil van Dijk after the Liverpool captain had tried to pin the blame on the referee for his side’s defeat against Bournemouth.
The Reds fell to their first defeat in 14 games after conceding in stoppage time at the Vitality Stadium, with Amine Adli grabbing a dramatic 3-2 win for the hosts. Van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai had earlier dragged the visitors back level after falling 2-0 down during the first half.
It wasn’t a great afternoon for Van Dijk despite his goal, with the Liverpool captain at fault as the Reds fell behind to goals from Evanilson and Alex Jimenez.
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Van Dijk failed to clear a long ball into his own penalty area, enabling Alex Scott to pull the ball back for the opener, while he also played Jimenez onside for the second — and he didn’t cover himself in glory for the eventual winner either.
The 34-year-old appeared to be knocked off balance as he looked to head a long throw late on, with the ensuing scramble leading to Adli poking the ball home, although Van Dijk felt the goal should have been disallowed.
"What I felt on that pitch was that I was clearly blocked,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports. “The referee and the VAR don't give it.
"We will have to accept it. I can stand here and say it should not be given, but it was. It is what it is."
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Unfortunately for Van Dijk, though, Redknapp was on hand to immediately prove why the goal was right to stand.
The former Liverpool midfielder analyzed a replay of the final goal, which seemed to show Van Dijk being impeded by one of his own teammates.
“Well, he was blocked, he was fouled, but he was fouled by his own player. That’s the problem,” Redknapp said as the coverage cut back to him in the studio after Van Dijk’s interview.
Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp speaking on Sky Sports
Jamie Redknapp immediately proved Van Dijk wrong(Image: Sky Sports)
“As that ball comes in, and it’s an incredible throw, Virgil goes to attack it, but I just want to take it back because I can show you, if I slow it up, as he goes to win that ball now, you can see there, number 17, Curtis Jones, he just trips over him.
“Watch Virgil’s right foot, as he goes to jump, there, he catches his own man, then can’t get the header, then it all becomes about Adli.”
The problems are mounting up for Liverpool in defense, with Joe Gomez having been forced off during the first half after colliding with Alisson Becker in trying to prevent Evanilson’s goal.
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The Reds were already without Ibrahima Konate, with the French international away following the death of his father, while fellow center-back Giovanni Leoni is out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury back in September.