2024-04-08 06:15:24
In the middle of the Premier League title race, Liverpool FC suffered a setback on Sunday. The captain was particularly annoyed.
In almost every statistic, Liverpool FC was ahead against Manchester United. 62 to 38 percent ball possession, 28 to 9 shots on goal, 3.59 to 0.71 expected goals. But in the most important statistics it was a draw. Both Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool and hosts United scored two goals.
A bitter setback for Liverpool, who now had to hand over the lead in the Premier League to Arsenal FC. Captain Virgil van Dijk was particularly annoyed by the way the game went: “It’s a shame and feels like a defeat at this point because we let them live through our wasted chances.”
At the same time, van Dijk defended his partner in central defense, Jarell Quansah. Quansah initiated the “Red Devils”‘s 1-1 equalizer with a bad pass. “He shouldn’t feel guilty,” emphasized the Dutchman van Dijk. And coach Jürgen Klopp also supported his disappointed defensive talent: “When our idols made such mistakes in the past, there was no social media. I hope he is smart enough to ignore it.”
“The race continues”
Klopp, who appeared stunned at times in the first half at the missed chances to score, encouraged his team. He said on Sky: “I know a lot of people see this as a loss of two points. As far as I’m concerned, we have one point more than before the game.” In an interview with beIN Sports, he added: “It’s not our dream result today, but the race goes on and we’re not out.”
The successful German coach also had a tip left for opponents Manchester United. On the penultimate matchday, Liverpool’s arch-rivals will face Arsenal FC, the new Premier League leaders. But Klopp has little hope of Arsenal dropping points against United. “If they (Manchester United, editor’s note) play like they did today, Arsenal will win the game. Sorry,” said Klopp.