Van Dijk stands up for Mac Allister after costly mistake: 'It was also on me'

Soccereco, Staff Writer

Published: 10:53, 9 Oct 2023

Virgil van Dijk admits that Liverpool did not have a flawless afternoon defensively against Brighton & Hove Albion (2-2). The 32-year-old captain of The Reds defended Alexis Mac Allister and raised questions about a refereeing decision.

Liverpool dropped two points visiting Brighton on Sunday, after falling behind due to a mistake in build-up play. Particularly, Mac Allister, on his return to the Amex Stadium, was beaten by Simon Adingra after a pass from Van Dijk. 'It wasn't just on him, but on me as well,' the Dutch international reacted on Sky Sports. 'It was a risky pass; those things happen and get punished.'

Van Dijk, however, was proud of the way Liverpool fought back from the early setback with two goals from Mohamed Salah, although he was disappointed by the late equalizer from Lewis Dunk. The 31-year-old Brighton defender scored from a free kick by Solly March. 'There was some miscommunication. We don’t want to make those kinds of mistakes, but I am proud of the team. We had the chances to win in a tough match.'

A possible red card for Pascal Gross for causing the penalty from which Salah scored the 1-2 would have made it easier for Liverpool. 'You think about it on the pitch, but it wasn't really one,' Van Dijk responded. 'I did wonder why he didn't get a yellow card. We have to accept it.' Manager Jürgen Klopp felt the same way. 'In my opinion, it's yellow for these kinds of situations, but I'm no expert.'

That his team gave away two goals due to their own mistakes, Klopp did not want to weigh too heavily. 'Honestly, I think this is a fair result. The first goal was our mistake, but Mac Allister, like the other players, fought his way back into the match. And it was also just a very good set piece,' the German referred to the 2-2. 'We missed the ball with two players, but that’s why you should also prevent giving away such free kicks.'

Title Race

Liverpool, after the much-discussed top match against Tottenham Hotspur (2-1), suffered points loss again and is not yet a title contender according to former player Jamie Carragher. 'I think it's going to be tough,' the analyst said on Sky Sports. 'I think they still miss a top player in the midfield and maybe a defender. If they fill those gaps in the squad, I think they can go for the title again in the Premier League next season.'