Virgil van Dijk spoke to referee Stuart Attwell after Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham, telling him that he had made a “mistake” by not sending off Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall before the teenager scored the winning goal.
Bergvall, 18, netted his first goal for Spurs in the 86th minute, giving them a 1-0 lead in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. This puts Spurs in a favorable position heading into the second leg at Anfield in a month.
Prior to Bergvall’s goal, Liverpool believed he should have received a second yellow card for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas. This came just a minute after he was booked for a sliding challenge on Luis Diaz. Many Liverpool fans felt the second foul was more deserving of a yellow card than the first.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports after the match, “It was clear that it should have been a second yellow card. Everyone on the sideline could see it.”
Though Van Dijk was adamant that Bergvall should have been sent off, he emphasized that he wasn’t blaming the referee for the loss. “I’m not saying it was the reason we lost, but it was a significant moment in the game,” he said.
Van Dijk also acknowledged Tottenham’s solid performance, stating, “They played very well and made it difficult for us to score. We had some good chances but couldn’t finish. Now we focus on the second leg at Anfield.”
Despite the defeat, Van Dijk recognized Tottenham’s improvement compared to their recent 6-3 loss to Liverpool. “They defended much better than they did before,” he noted. “We created opportunities, but they were tough to break down. We’ll move forward and concentrate on the next match.”
The second leg of the tie will be held at Anfield, and Van Dijk is eager to take on Tottenham again.
