Virgil van Dijk Reveals Referee’s Explanation Behind Controversial Penalty Call in Liverpool’s Loss to Brentford
Virgil van Dijk has shared what referee Simon Hooper told him regarding the controversial penalty that proved decisive in Liverpool’s 3–2 defeat to Brentford on Saturday.
The pivotal moment came midway through the second half when Van Dijk was penalized for bringing down Dango Ouattara on the edge of Liverpool’s box. The referee initially awarded a free-kick, but after a VAR review, the decision was upgraded to a penalty, from which Igor Thiago scored what turned out to be Brentford’s winning goal.
Explaining the incident after the match, Van Dijk said the referee informed him that the contact occurred on the line, which by rule is considered inside the penalty area.
“The referee said the ball was on the line and then marked the spot a couple of meters outside the box,” Van Dijk told reporters. “I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. Eventually, he gave the penalty, which obviously isn’t ideal.”
At that point, Liverpool trailed 2–1, and the decision left the visitors visibly frustrated as their hopes of a comeback slipped away. The result marked their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, extending a worrying run for Arne Slot’s side.
“I’m disappointed with the result,” Van Dijk said. “We knew Brentford’s strengths and what they were trying to do. We needed to be more clinical and precise. It’s a tough one to accept, but that’s football. We have to move forward.”
Speaking to TNT Sports, the Liverpool captain added:
“It’s the reality — we lost today. Now we have to quickly shift focus to Wednesday against Crystal Palace, who’ve already given us problems this season.
It’s not easy to take. We wanted to build on the performance against Frankfurt, but tonight was far from ideal.”
Liverpool’s defensive struggles have been a growing concern, with the team managing just two clean sheets in 14 games across all competitions this season. Van Dijk admitted that he’s puzzled by the ongoing issues at the back.
“It’s hard to pinpoint why,” he said. “We’ve gone nine games without a clean sheet. It’s easy to blame individuals or the defense, but it’s a team issue.
Everyone, including myself, needs to look in the mirror. We’ll get through this — but not by talking. We have to show it on the pitch.
The fans who celebrated with us last year must stand by us now. We’ll bounce back, because we have the quality, both in attack and defense.”
