‘Tough one to take’ – Virgil van Dijk says one Liverpool defeat his year was especially ‘painful’

Virgil van Dijk has pinpointed which Liverpool defeat in 2025 was a particularly ‘tough one to take’.

The Reds have had quite polarised highs and lows in terms of results on the pitch this year, with the zenith of Premier League glory in April contrasting sharply with the nadir of successive three-goal home thrashings by Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven last month.

That week in November had echoes of one in March in terms of two damaging losses for Arne Slot’s side in quick succession, when in the space of six days, LFC exited the Champions League on penalties and then lost to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.

While Liverpool died with their boots on against Paris Saint-Germain, the Wembley defeat to the Magpies was exacerbated by a strangely insipid performance from the eventual league champions.

Van Dijk still rues ‘painful’ Carabao Cup final loss

In an interview with The Times looking back on 2025, Van Dijk reflected with regret on the Reds’ display in northwest London that evening.

He said: “What hurt at the time of the Newcastle game was that in terms of the battles and the intensity we lacked something, and that made a difference that day. We didn’t deserve it and that was painful.

“Even knowing that hopefully you’re going to wrap up the league in the near future, it was still a very tough one to take.”

Wembley regrets gave way to Anfield jubilation

Sometimes your luck can simply be out when it comes to a cup final, as Liverpool know from the 2022 Champions League decider against Real Madrid, but what made the defeat to Newcastle in March hard to accept was that the Reds fell way short of their usual standards and deserved to lose.

Federico Chiesa’s goal in stoppage time came way too late to raise any genuine hopes of a dramatic comeback and proved to be nothing more than a footnote on a day which belonged to the Magpies, who won their first major trophy since 1969.

Thankfully, the frustration felt by Van Dijk and his teammates that night gave way to unbridled joy at Anfield six weeks later when we demolished Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 to clinch the Premier League title, and that’s what last season will be remembered for more than anything.

A repeat at the end of this campaign seems highly unlikely given the 10-point deficit to current leaders Arsenal, but at least an upturn in results over the past month has allowed us to go into 2026 with renewed optimism after a dreadful autumn.

If Liverpool are to have another major final at the end of the season in the FA Cup and/or Champions League, here’s hoping they leave nothing behind them in terms of performance on the pitch and aren’t left with the same regrets that they had from the Carabao Cup loss to Newcastle nine months ago.

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