Despite such a dramatic victory over Newcastle, it came at the cost of losing Virgil van Dijk to suspension and now the defender has spoken about the incident for the first time.
Taking to his Instagram account, our captain wrote: ‘Gutted to miss the game. Hate not being able to contribute to the team.
‘Obviously I can’t really comment on the circumstances around the suspension, I want to respect the process whilst it’s ongoing. I’ll be at Anfield supporting the boys. Big game. Come on the boys! ❤️’.
It wasn’t just the fact that our No.4 received a sending off but his actions afterwards led to a FA charge and now he looks set to spend more than the initial one-game suspension away from the squad.
It’s clear that the 32-year-old is gutted to be missing out against Aston Villa but also that he doesn’t seem best pleased with the way that the events have unfolded in the meantime.
Instead of voicing these issues, making matters worse for himself and deflecting more attention away from the events on the grass – the skipper has dedicated his efforts to supporting his teammates.
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Time will tell what happens from the incident at St. James’ Park but replays certainly suggested that the decision to give the red card may have been the right one.
There was no doubt that the Dutchman was also vocal on the pitch with his distaste towards John Brooks at the time but his actions are not ones that are rarely seen on a football pitch.
That’s no excuse but by making an example of the captain of his club and country, the Premier League and FA could place themselves on a slippery slope.
You can view van Dijk’s comments via his Instagram account:
its good for liverpool players to leave britain. they’re really oppressed here.