Virgil van Dijk Confronts Referee Over Controversial Call in Liverpool’s Loss to Tottenham
After Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, captain Virgil van Dijk approached referee Stuart Attwell to question why Tottenham’s Lucas Bergvall was not shown a second yellow card.
Bergvall, 18, scored the only goal of the match in the 86th minute, giving Tottenham a narrow advantage ahead of the second leg at Anfield. However, Liverpool players and fans were furious, believing Bergvall should have been sent off for a foul on Kostas Tsimikas just before his goal.
Van Dijk expressed his frustration in a post-match interview with Sky Sports, stating, “It was clear it should have been a second yellow. Everyone on the sidelines saw it.”
The controversy arose after Bergvall had already been booked for a sliding tackle on Luis Diaz, and many felt his foul on Tsimikas was even worse. While critical of the referee’s decision, Van Dijk did not attribute the loss solely to that moment, saying, “I’m not saying that’s why we lost, but it was a key moment in the game.”
The Dutch defender also praised Tottenham’s solid defensive display, which made it difficult for Liverpool to break them down. “We had some good spells and chances, but we just couldn’t finish,” he remarked. “Now, we focus on the second leg at Anfield.”
Van Dijk acknowledged Spurs’ improvement since their heavy 6-3 loss to Liverpool, noting, “They were much more solid defensively. We had our chances, but breaking them down wasn’t easy.”
With the second leg looming, Van Dijk remains confident, stressing the need to learn from their mistakes and overturn the slim deficit to reach the final.
