Virgil van Dijk offered an unusual excuse for his role in Bournemouth’s opening goal as Liverpool suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to finish their 13-game unbeaten run.
Liverpool battled back well from 2-0 right down to draw level through Van Dijk’s header from a corner and Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick either side of half-time.
Arne Slot’s side continued to push on for a winner, but were as a substitute condemned to their first defeat since November last 12 months when Amine Adli poked home a winner with the last kick of the sport.
The result means Liverpool at the moment are winless in five Premier League matches, having drawn their last 4 games prior to Sundays’s encounter with Bournemouth.
While getting on the scoresheet before half-time, Van Dijk didn’t cover himself in glory for Bournemouth’s opening goal, misjudging the flight of a protracted ball excessive, together with his botched clearances falling to Alex Scott, who arrange Evanilson to attain.
And speaking after the sport, the Dutch centre-back insisted that windy conditions on the south coast were the reason behind his crucial mistake, which put Andoni Iraola’s side ahead.
‘The primary goal was a difficult one to evaluate in the course of the circumstances, the wind was very tricky,’ Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
Get your football fix
Don’t need to miss the week’s biggest football stories? Metro’s exclusive football newsletter, In The Mixer, is your essential guide.
From the most recent transfer rumours and managerial moves to evaluation of the most important games and lots more, our experts have you ever covered.
Enroll here, it’s an open goal.
‘I believe you saw it after we played long balls on that side it was very difficult to evaluate. So to concede that wasn’t a problem nevertheless it’s not good.
‘To concede two goals in a brief period isn’t good in any respect. The goal I scored before half-time was really vital for momentum within the second-half back and I believe we showed that.
‘We worked so hard to get back into the sport, we had a free-kick and a few great opportunities as well but in the long run, that throw in cost us.’
The Reds captain added: ‘I’m very upset. Last minute of the sport may be very tough to take, we worked very hard within the second half to get back in the sport and to concede that late is disappointing.’
Bournemouth midfielder Scott, who capitalised on Van Dijk’s mistake to establish his side’s opener, said that the windy conditions did make things tricky on the evening.
‘The wind made it tougher for Virgil to cope with it,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘I believe the conditions were tough on the market today, the primary half we were playing into the wind and second half with the wind.
‘It was tough and definitely played an element of that goal. For him, I reckon, it just stopped within the air just a little bit, but thankfully I used to be there to make something of it and clearly glad to get the goal there early on.’
Slot was also not keen to carry his captain fully accountable for the opening goal, saying post-match: ‘I don’t think it’s completely fair to Virgil guilty him for the primary goal.
‘I believe you possibly can see throughout the sport how much impact the wind had.’
The Liverpool boss, nevertheless, did admit that fatigue played a job in his side slipping to a defeat in added time.
‘We got here back to 2-2 after which I believed it was a really open game where each teams had their possibilities,’ he told Sky Sports.
‘They probably [had] even greater than us which shouldn’t come as a whole surprise to me knowing that we’ve played two days before in Marseille and for the last 4, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 games we’ve needed to play with the identical players for the players we had available after which sometimes a number of of them may very well be at the tip of the sport a bit drained.
‘I believe that’s what you possibly can see at the tip today as well.’
Liverpool remain in fourth, but may very well be leapfrogged by as many as 4 teams if Manchester United, Chelsea, Brentford and Newcastle United all win on Sunday.
Slot’s side return to motion in midweek with their final Champions League league phase match at home to Qarabag.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the most recent news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Bayern Munich consider January bid for Chelsea star as Blues goal £56m deal
MORE: Paul Scholes claims ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal star has been higher than Declan Rice this season
MORE: Jermaine Jenas makes shock Arsenal vs Man Utd prediction ahead of Premier League clash