“Before Sunday’s match against Arsenal, Liverpool boasted the best defensive record in the Premier League, credited to their defensive trio of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, and goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
However, with three goals conceded, each member of the trio taking responsibility for one, Liverpool now shares defensive parity with Arsenal, who emerged victorious with a 3-1 scoreline.
Reflecting on the outcome, Van Dijk admitted, “I should have done better. I should have made a better decision. It hurts for me and for the rest of the team. It was a significant turning point, especially after the break when we were performing exceptionally well.”
Liverpool managed to go into halftime on level terms, despite being outplayed, thanks to a late equalizer from Luis Diaz resulting in a Gabriel own goal. However, early in the second half, they seemed poised to capitalize on their position.”
“Subsequently, Van Dijk opted to let a long ball bounce instead of heading it clear, leading to a miscommunication between him and Alisson. This compounded the error, providing Gabriel Martinelli with an open goal for Arsenal’s second.
The first goal for Arsenal occurred when Konaté was caught off guard by Gabriel Martinelli, resulting in a goal by Bukayo Saka. Finally, their third goal transpired in stoppage time when Alisson was nutmegged by Leandro Trossard.
Van Dijk acknowledged the critical moment, stating, “Arsenal is a very good team, but we were dominant in the second half. Then came the turning point. It’s my responsibility; I should have just cleared it. Unfortunately, these things happen sometimes in football. But that doesn’t diminish the fact that it hurts. It’s tough to be involved in mistakes, but I will be back. There’s no doubt about that. I will ensure that these things don’t happen anymore.”