Van Dijk makes “penalty moment” point after Liverpool’s late Man City defeat
Virgil van Dijk has offered a measured breakdown of our 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at Anfield, pointing to the first-half struggle, the shift after the break, and the “penalty moment” that ultimately decided it.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning 76th-minute free-kick had put Arne Slot’s side in front, but Bernardo Silva equalised before Erling Haaland converted a stoppage-time penalty to complete the turnaround, with Szoboszlai also sent off late on and now suspended for the trip to Sunderland.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match (via Liverpoolfc.com), the Netherlands centre-back said: “First half I think they were much more comfortable on the ball… and I think we weren’t good enough in the first half.”
Van Dijk’s view was that the second half showed a clear improvement, even if the closing stages became increasingly frantic once Manchester City had to chase the game.
Our No.4 said: “Second half I think we were much better, much more dominance on the ball as well at times, and obviously score a worldie of a free-kick.”
Van Dijk says Liverpool were never “in complete control” after the goal
There was a clear warning in Van Dijk’s reaction about what a one-goal lead means against Pep Guardiola’s side, particularly once the visitors change shape and begin forcing different defensive decisions.
The 34-year-old said: “You are never in complete control against City and especially when City is 1-0 down, they will come and press you even more.”
The Dutch defender also described how Manchester City’s movement can drag our defenders and midfielders into difficult choices, naming Milos Kerkez as an example of the communication required when runners move inside.
Van Dijk’s conclusion, though, was that both teams pushed for a winner after the equaliser, with one incident settling it in the end.
He said: “My feeling at the moment… is that after the equaliser we were both trying everything to try to score the winner.”
What Van Dijk’s performance looked like in the numbers
Sofascore rated Van Dijk at 6.0 in the defeat, with the captain heavily involved defensively as Manchester City finished with the stronger attacking threat.
Here are Virgil van Dijk’s key stats from the defeat to Manchester City:
| Metric | Van Dijk |
|---|---|
| Minutes | 90 |
| Sofascore rating | 7.0 |
| Clearances | 6 |
| Blocked shots | 1 |
| Tackles (won) | 1 (1) |
| Ground duels (won) | 4 (2) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 7 (3) |
| Accurate passes | 29/45 (64%) |
| Long balls (accurate) | 6/14 (43%) |
Those figures back up the idea that Van Dijk was generally solid, even if we could not prevent the late momentum swing once Manchester City began to load the box and win territory.
Van Dijk also framed the wider context as part of an ongoing build under Slot, with progress still uneven across 90 minutes.
He said: “It’s still a process, I’ve mentioned it many times… Second half felt maybe a little bit like a step up.”
The reaction around the key moments will inevitably continue, with Jamie Carragher pointing to Alisson’s decision-making for the penalty incident, while Slot’s own post-match comments focused on the big refereeing calls, including the shirt pull on Mo Salah.
From Van Dijk’s point of view, the clearest takeaway was more practical than emotional: we improved after half-time, we still have to raise the baseline in games like this, and we have to manage the decisive moments better when the match turns chaotic late on.
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