Some moments speak louder in silence, and Virgil van Dijk’s reaction after Liverpool’s 3-0 loss to Manchester City said everything about where we are right now.
Speaking via The Independent after the match, our captain chose restraint over rage as he addressed the latest refereeing controversy to go against us.
“In football the officials are deciding the key decisions and we have to deal with it on the pitch,” he said.
“There is no point discussing this from my point of view. The reality is that we lost 3-0 and that is a big blow.”
He continued: “It doesn’t matter what I say [about the goal] because anything I say will be in the media and the whole international break will be about my comment on the decision.
“I just focus on the fact we lost. You guys can debate if it should have stood.”
Van Dijk shows restraint as frustration grows
Van Dijk’s words came after Arne Slot called out the “clear” wrong decision that was made against us, referenced Chris Kavanagh’s previous decisions and the clear double standards that continue to hurt us.
That particular flashpoint came when the Dutch defender thought he’d levelled the game at 1-1, only for the flag to go up because Andy Robertson was deemed to be obstructing Gianluigi Donnarumma – despite clear evidence to the contrary.
Liverpool’s patience running thin
While Van Dijk’s calm response showed leadership, it also hinted at growing fatigue within the squad when it comes to officiating debates.
We’ve now seen multiple high-impact calls go against us this season, and his refusal to “make it about the referee” feels like the stance of a captain trying to shield his side from further distraction.
For all the noise around the disallowed goal, the bigger issue remains that Liverpool were second-best at the Etihad and both Van Dijk and Slot know that has to change fast.
You can view Slot’s post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobile
Indeed. What can pgmol compensate Liverpool? Add 3 points or 1 point to Liverpool and deduct 3 points or 2 points from man city? This whole saga is just going to drag on and the best you can get is an apology. We have had too many apologies and it does nothing to help the team.
On a side topic, what is the outcome on the 115 charges against man city? This has dragged on for far too long. Guilty or innocent?
Nothing, ROM. No compensation.
When has it ever happened ?
Points deductions, fines yes.
Even huge relegations as with Rangers and Juve.
I don’t think anyone is asking for points added.
The game’s done, the damage is done. City have those titles and will keep them probably.
An apology WOULD be nice, but it’s important to not have others believe it’s about helping the team. That’s very misleading and dangerous.
Helping the league to become fairer and more just HAS to be the motivation.
Re. The apology after Diaz’s scratched goal means nothing, because they haven’t changed a jot in ironing out their mistakes.
Adherence to the rules and the spirit of the rules in the future would be better, but until a football regulator with real clout starts laying down the law in concert with the government and not billionaire owners, the best we can hope for now is justice.
#115 charges are due to be heard this month, Ol’ chap. Hoping for some resolution, but half expecting further stonewalling.
Re. “Helping the team”, Ja.
Spot on, mate.
The moment one corrupt system based around one team’s dominance/hypocrisy with one rule for them and much harsher ones for the rest, get replaced with another system that does exactly the same thing, we end up in the same situation down the line.
It’s a bit like a corrupt business man deciding to retire and making sure he hands over to somebody equally waist deep in the filth before doing so, so that he’s protected by the fact if one goes down, they all go down.
The whole thing needs blowing wide open having a proper investigation and rebuilding better for the people it gives employment to and those who are entertained by it.