Virgil van Dijk has criticized referee Tony Harrington for his inability to effectively manage Liverpool’s match against Fulham, suggesting that he was ‘nervous.’
The match ended in a 2-2 draw at Anfield, with Liverpool twice coming from behind to secure a point.
Despite the draw, Liverpool may consider themselves fortunate given Andy Robertson’s red card in the 17th minute, which followed a Fulham goal by Andreas Pereira just six minutes earlier.
However, Liverpool still managed 16 shots and 2.26 xG, and on another day, they could have easily come away with a significant win.
Robertson’s red card came for denying a goalscoring opportunity when he fouled Harry Wilson inside the penalty area, a clear decision.
Nevertheless, Liverpool had cause for frustration with Harrington from the start of the match. In the second minute, Robertson seemed to pick up an injury after being caught by Issa Diop’s robust challenge, which earned the Fulham player a yellow card.
Shortly after, Pereira was also shown a yellow card for a poor tackle on Ryan Gravenberch, which many felt deserved a stronger punishment.
Former referee Mike Dean argued that Pereira should have been sent off for the challenge, calling it a clear red card after Pereira caught Gravenberch’s Achilles without attempting to play the ball.
Two minutes after Pereira’s foul, he scored for Fulham, and within another eight minutes, Robertson was sent off.
Van Dijk strongly criticized referee Harrington for his handling of the game, accusing him of being ‘nervous’.
The match had a chaotic start, and according to Van Dijk, referee Harrington struggled to control the situation, showing clear signs of nervousness.
“A great comeback is very positive. It’s disappointing having 10 men, but we showed fight and kept trying to create chances. It could have been more, but we’ll take the point and move on,” Van Dijk said after the game (via BBC Sport).
“Stay calm. It’s easier said than done. It was always going to be tough against them. We saw it last year and last week against Arsenal. We had to turn it around and keep fighting. We tried.
“I spoke with Fulham’s players, and we all felt like the referee was nervous. He couldn’t communicate properly with Robertson, I think. We can’t blame the referee, though. We always talk about protecting the referee, but I couldn’t speak to him. It shouldn’t be a big issue, because he’s not the reason we dropped points.
“It is what it is. We take the point, recover quickly, and be ready for the game on Wednesday.”
