Van Dijk hits back at criticism over his Merseyside derby performance
Virgil van Dijk played a key role as Liverpool ran out as winners against Everton though he was asked to comment on his performance, after the match.
Speaking in the media mixed zone, our captain addressed his ‘moments of defensive uncertainty’ by stating:
“That one moment? That one moment, yeah. Or the offside one, which one do you mean?
“In football, sometimes you can make mistakes, no one plays football without making mistakes.
“And unfortunately, I’m playing in the position that if I miss hit the ball, what happens then, it could lead to a very, very big chance.
“And that’s what happened, so that moment goes actually then in slow motion.
“But listen, whatever happened during the game, there’s still so much time to turn your defensive uncertainties around and I think that’s what we did.
“I think we didn’t give much away today. There was, like I said, an offside goal and one that I just have to clear.
“Yeah, what I said, it doesn’t define the whole performance in my opinion.”
It was a good way for our skipper to put the reporter in their place and he was right to do so, as the offside chance was allowed to develop as our man stopped attempting to clear the ball.
The decision was a lot closer than it felt like our No.4 first felt but he was still right to stop running and be so convinced that Beto was in an offside position.
Missing the ball afterwards was a very rare error from the 33-year-old but was far from the defining moment of his game, one where he was at his usual dominant self for 99% of it.
Virgil van Dijk played well against Everton
The Dutchman also spoke after the game on the need for all focus to be on the next match, ignoring any possible transfer speculation around him or anyone else.
The captain for club and country was clearly in a defiant mood after the match as he also put Michael Owen in his place, in the studio.
As we edge closer to the end of the season and the giant looming prize that we seem destined to win, it’s all about getting the job done for the players.
You can view Van Dijk’s comments via @offtheball on X:
'Become a Premier League champion!'@LFC's Virgil van Dijk talks to @nathanmurf about his 'one moment of defensive uncertainty', and his advice to Caoimhin Kelleher to get more first team football. | #LFC
Off The Ball Football w/ @WilliamHillIre. pic.twitter.com/IutHq2F8XK
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) April 2, 2025
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