Virgil van Dijk admitted Liverpool deserved to lose their Champions League tie with PSG
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Van Dijk gave an honest assessment of Liverpool's shortcomingsopen image in gallery
Van Dijk gave an honest assessment of Liverpool's shortcomings (Getty)
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Liverpool's Champions League campaign ended with a 2-0 quarter-final second leg defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, a result captain Virgil van Dijk admitted his side deserved.
The European exit was compounded by a serious injury to Hugo Ekitike.
Ousmane Dembele's double sealed the win for Luis Enrique's side, with Liverpool's efforts thwarted by poor finishing and key interventions.
After last week’s 2-0 first-leg loss at the Parc des Princes, where Arne Slot described his team as being in "survival mode”, Liverpool were outclassed once again at Anfield.
Put to Van Dijk that Liverpool gave it a go, the captain said: "That’s the bare minimum, isn’t it? It’s disappointing to be knocked out but PSG deserved to go through. Knocking on the door is not enough.
Virgil van Dijk had no arguments with Liverpool’s Champions League exit (Peter Byrne/PA)open image in gallery
Virgil van Dijk had no arguments with Liverpool’s Champions League exit (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)
“I’m disappointed that we were knocked out, but that is the reality. I think PSG deserved to go through based on the two games."
The defeat ended Liverpool's silverware hopes and seemingly brought Ekitike's debut season to a premature end. The 23-year-old, with 17 goals in 45 appearances, was stretchered off.
Head coach Slot described the injury as "really bad”, with reports suggesting a ruptured Achilles tendon could sideline him for at least nine months, ending his World Cup prospects.
With Alexander Isak now fit, attention shifts to Sunday's derby against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Van Dijk, still processing the European disappointment, acknowledged the need to refocus.
"We should be very disappointed at this stage and at this point this evening,” he said. “But a massive game awaits for us. We all know how big it is.
“It will obviously be a tough one but it is something to look forward to. But at this stage, I’m just not in a good place because we got knocked out of the Champions League."
Hugo Ekitike was stretchered off in the first halfopen image in gallery
Hugo Ekitike was stretchered off in the first half (PA Wire)
Midfielder Ryan Gravenberch echoed his captain's sentiments, stressing the need for recovery.
"Is it acceptable to be eliminated this way? No, actually not," the Netherlands international told Ziggo Sport. "It’s disappointing. We have to pick ourselves up as Sunday is waiting.
“We still have six matches in the league and we just want to play in the Champions League next year as well. We have to give it our all."