Virgil van Dijk has vowed to bounce back after taking responsibility for Liverpool’s loss to Arsenal on Sunday. United suffered their second Premier League defeat of the season, losing 3-1 after a test match at the Emirates Stadium.Van Dijk believed the decisive moment came in the 67th minute when a misunderstanding between the captain and goalkeeper Alisson Becker allowed Gabriel Martinelli to give the Gunners a crucial lead.
Leandro Trossar scored in added time after Ibrahima Konate received Liverpool’s second yellow card.Van Dijk told Sky Sports after the game: “It was a very difficult day in the end. I think it was a 2-1 goal and I have to take full responsibility for that, but it was a big turning point in the game.“I should have done better, I should have made better decisions there. It hurts me and the rest of the team. It was a big turning point in the game because I thought we played really well after the break. “We had our chances, we dominated and I think the atmosphere started to get a bit tense.
Arsenal are a very good team and always try to stay in the game, but we were very dominant, especially in the second half. “Here came the turning point. This is my responsibility. I have to deny it but I made a bad decision in a split second and unfortunately that happens in football too. But that doesn’t change the fact that it hurts. “This hasn’t happened very often in my career, but it’s very difficult. You learn from things that don’t go well, so you move on, but you take responsibility. “I make no apologies. At the highest level, decisions are made in two seconds.
I decided to let the ball bounce and put my body between them. Alisson inexplicably nudged me a bit. “Things happen and I take full responsibility for them. I will try to prevent such situations,” he said.Despite the result, Liverpool remain two points clear at the top of the Premier League and Van Dijk added: “This is our first defeat since September. Of course, loss is painful. Especially in the current situation. It was unnecessary in many ways, but at the same time I accepted it. “Like I said, it broke my heart to see all the fans go down. It’s not fun to mess up by mistake, but I’ll be back. There is no doubt. “We will make sure this situation never happens again,” he said.
