Captain Virgil van Dijk speaks after Liverpool's 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, which was the champions' eighth loss of the campaign
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool gives instructions during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield on February 8, 2026(Image: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
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Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool need to improve their game management after a sixth stoppage-time concession of the season saw Manchester City win 2-1 at Anfield.
The Reds suffered their eighth defeat of the Premier League season as Erling Haaland's penalty, scored after 93 minutes, secured a first win for Pep Guardiola in front of fans at Liverpool after 10 years as City boss.
City had another goal chalked off after 100 minutes when referee Craig Pawson sent off Dominik Szoboszlai for dragging back Haaland as he attempted to tap into an empty net with Alisson Becker stranded up front.
The champions have now lost out on eight points due to goals scored in stoppage time this season and with Van Dijk and his colleagues now five points behind Manchester United in fourth and four off Chelsea in fifth, the skipper has challenged the team to see out matches better.
“I think you can't compare all of the goals [conceded in stoppage time]," Van Dijk said. "I think maybe you can compare the Crystal Palace goal and the Bournemouth goal but this one you can't compare with the others. But the fact is that we conceded that late on and I keep saying it but we have to do better in this.
"You also have to remember that you're playing against City, who are obviously very comfortable on the ball, and at times, when you don't win the ball, because we did many times as well, I think making the right decisions could have been better.
"But yeah, it's easy now to maybe say that we dropped off too much and that's why they scored the equaliser. Overall the feeling that I have right now is that in the first half we weren't good enough, in the second half we were much better but still disappointed we lost.
“At the moment [we don't take positives] because I'm disappointed that we lost. But I will do everything in my power to recover and then we'll discuss it and then we have to turn our attention very, very quickly to an opponent that is having a very good season, especially at home, so it will be a big battle.
“Listen, it's always hard to accept the loss, especially at home, but I think if you really analyse the game as a whole, 95 minutes, and especially the first half City was really much better than us in having a ball, obviously they created some opportunities, not massive. Second half we did much better and created good opportunities but the penalty is the deciding factor.
"Second half I think we obviously had more domination on the ball at times, more off the ball. First half we tried to be more direct, which causes maybe less control, more chaos.
"I think they did well in that sense and when they had the ball, they controlled us, unfortunately, but still it was 0-0 at half-time so we had time to turn that around and we did. One-nil by an amazing free-kick then obviously the equaliser. After that it's both teams going for the win and the penalty decides it."
Liverpool now visit a Sunderland side on Wednesday who have not lost at the Stadium of Light all season and with Chelsea and United both involved in Tuesday night action, at home to Leeds United and away to West Ham United, respectively, Arne Slot's men may find themselves further adrift of the top five before kick-off in the North East.
Van Dijk added: “When is the deciding time of the year? I think every game, obviously, that's coming our way we have to make sure that we are getting towards that top four to five.
"But we need better performances and finding ways to win. That's something that we can focus on and that we have to keep our focus on as well. Like I said, we were having much more control when we had the ball, making the right decisions.
"When we had the ball, when we lost the ball to them, we put them under pressure, they obviously kicked a lot more long balls because we were having more pressure so we could win the first ball, not as much of the second ball, but I think that was definitely a much better feeling that I had based on the second half."
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