Captain warns teammates that if they want a Champions League place they must show they “deserve” it
Virgil van Dijk has admitted Arne Slot was justified in his anger towards Liverpool players for their performance in a damaging 2-1 defeat to Wolves on Tuesday night.
Liverpool suffered late heartbreak at Molineux as midfielder Andre struck in the 94th minute to seal a dramatic victory for the relegation-threatened hosts and condemn Slot’s side to a defeat that could prove costly in the race for Champions League qualification.
The result also came with an unwanted Premier League record, with Liverpool becoming the first side to concede five stoppage-time winners in a single season.
Rodrigo Gomes had given Wolves an advantage in the 78th minute after capitalising on a sluggish performance from the visitors.
Mohamed Salah appeared to have rescued a point when he pounced on a misplaced pass and equalised seven minutes from time, but Liverpool were caught again deep into added time when Andre’s effort deflected wickedly off Joe Gomez and past Alisson.
“Yeah, he was angry, and he had every right,” Van Dijk said of Slot. “We played poorly, especially in the first half. Maybe there was more urgency after the break, but overall it still wasn’t good enough.”
Liverpool’s captain also acknowledged that Wolves deserved their early lead because his side were “too slow and predictable in possession”, failing to seize their chances when they came.
The defeat leaves Liverpool fifth with a Champions League place under threat. Van Dijk said qualification had to be a measure of their overall performance this season, calling for his side to deserve victory.
“Either we get it and deserve it, or we don’t,” the defender said. “We lost and that’s all down to ourselves. It’s very disappointing.
“It’s down to us to learn from it and turn it around but it’s tough for us to take and it’s tough for our fans to take. We have to keep going.”
