Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has urged team-mate Jarell Quansah not to dwell on the mistake that allowed Manchester United to score a goal last weekend.
The two Premier League giants met at Old Trafford. Liverpool knew that a win would catapult them to the top of the Premier League table. However, they could only draw 2-2 and the lead changed hands.
The Reds took the lead through Luis Diaz, but goals from Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo turned the game around. A late penalty from Mohamed Salah secured the points.
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United’s opening goal came from a misplaced pass from Anfield youth product Quansah, which Fernandes pounced on when goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher was off his line. Van Dijk defended Quansah during his post-match interview, saying mistakes are part of football and one must learn from them.
Speaking to BBC MOTD, he said: “He shouldn’t (be affected). Mistakes are made in football, everyone who has a career in football makes mistakes, and you can only learn from them.”
Van Dijk also expressed his disappointment at the result, adding: “It feels like a defeat, it’s our fault again. We had a lot of chances and we should finish the game.”
“Unfortunately, we made an individual mistake on the equaliser and we had plenty of time to correct it, but we were in a hurry. Still, after going 2-1 down, we created a lot of things.”
Liverpool’s missed chances were the focus of the match, with Mo Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai failing to convert clear-cut opportunities, leaving manager Jurgen Klopp visibly exasperated. Van Dijk admitted Liverpool should have been more comfortably ahead at the break, saying: “We should have been 2-0 up at least, but in football, unfortunately, if these things don’t happen, you give them the feeling that they could come back and that’s what happened.”
Following the draw, Liverpool are now second in the Premier League table, level with Arsenal on points but behind on goal difference. Manchester City are hot on their heels in third place, just one point behind.
