Liverpool suffered a crushing defeat in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City. At the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola’s side ran out 4-0 winners, with Erling Haaland’s hat-trick the standout moment. Virgil van Dijk and manager Arne Slot, in particular, have come in for heavy criticism in the English media.
GOAL is the most scathing, giving Virgil van Dijk a shocking 2. “His lazy foul led to the penalty and for the other goals he was always on the back foot. A shadow of the player he once was,” writes the outlet. Arne Slot also takes a beating with a 3: “His system worked for a while, but his team’s reaction after setbacks is his responsibility.”
Liverpool.com is slightly more lenient, giving Van Dijk a 5, but remains critical. “He made a few good interventions, but also gave away a penalty by bringing O’Reilly down. You rarely see that sort of moment from him, but it cost Liverpool dearly,” it states.
In addition, explicit mention is made of a dramatic moment involving Van Dijk at 3-0: “Semenyo came in from behind and Van Dijk simply didn’t look sharp enough.”
Slot also receives an indirect rebuke fromLiverpool.com, which speaks of a defence that ‘simply didn’t come anywhere near the required standard’. According to the outlet, the team was ‘pulled apart’ and completely threw the match away in a short space of time.
TheDaily Express is harsher and gives Van Dijk a 4. “He clumsily gave away a penalty and let Haaland run free for his hat-trick. A miserable afternoon for the captain,” is the verdict.
This Is Anfield echoes the criticism and gives Van Dijk a 4. “He was so clumsy during the penalty at a time when Liverpool were really in the game. He never recovered from that.”
Slot also receives a 4 here: “His plan worked until the opening goal, but the fact that his team reacts so poorly to setbacks is ultimately his responsibility.”