Virgil van Dijk couldn’t help but smile wryly as he gave his two cents on the key talking points following Liverpool’s loss to Tottenham tonight.
The Reds lost 1-0 in north London after a late winner from Lucas Bergvall, who was lucky not to have received a second yellow card just before the match was decided.
The goal sparked a violent reaction from the visitors’ bench, with Arne Slott’s assistant Sif Hulshov booked after Stuart Atwell’s outbursts, and the LFC manager did well to keep his emotions in check as he approached the officials at full-time.
Van Dijk spoke to Attwell.
In an interview with Sky Sports after the game, Van Dijk claimed that it was the referee’s mistake not to give Bergval a second yellow card for a rash foul on Kostas Tsimikas, who happened to be receiving treatment just as Tottenham’s goal was scored. .
The Liverpool captain said of the controversial foul: “I think it was clear that it was going to be a second yellow. Obviously, I think (what I said to the referee) was pretty clear. It wasn’t a coincidence that he scored the winner a minute later, but it was.
“He made a mistake in my opinion and I told him so. He probably didn’t, I think, but I think it was pretty obvious and everyone nearby knew it had to be yellow. (Bergvall) should have been off.
“There’s a linesman there, a fourth official. There was VAR there, the referee was there and he didn’t get a second yellow card. “I can’t say that’s why we lost today, but it was an important moment in the game.”
“That guy should have been ejected.” 😡
Virgil van Dijk didn’t like the fact that Lucas Bergval was still on the pitch when Spurs won the title against Liverpool 😬 pic.twitter.com/tNMifZmjVO
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) January 8, 2025
Van Dijk has the right to call the referees
Van Dijk may have smiled when he thought about Bergvall avoiding a second yellow card, but it was clear he was furious at Attwell for making the pivotal decision.
As the Liverpool captain rightly pointed out, the assistant referees also neglected to intervene when there were incidents that required their intervention. That’s not to say that Whistler on the field needed their input to make a call that was easy enough. .
Yes, the Reds were poor overall, survived a few scares before scoring the winning goal and have a second leg starting tonight to make up for the deficit. However, this does not excuse the match referee’s abdication of his duties. Decisive moment.
Van Dijk came out to meet the music after his team lost, but Attwell was allowed out of the north London side without explaining why he failed to show Bergvall a second yellow card. Does that seem right to you?