Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk attributed his bizarre reaction to Bournemouth’s opening goal to the wind, a sentiment echoed by manager Arne Slot.
The Reds suffered a last-minute 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, leaving them still without a Premier League win in 2026.
After the match, Van Dijk commented on his controversial moment: “It’s difficult to judge the first goal given the circumstances; the wind was very tricky.”
Slot echoed the Dutch defender’s sentiments, saying, “I don’t think it’s fair to blame Van Dijk for the first goal. You could see the effect of the wind throughout the game.”
Regarding the last-minute defeat to Amine Adly’s goal, Slot added, “It’s a tough game to lose in stoppage time after coming back from 2-0 down at halftime.”
On the other hand, Van Dijk questioned Bournemouth’s winning goal, saying, “What I felt on the pitch was that I was clearly fouled, but the referee and VAR didn’t call it.”
The Liverpool captain concluded, “Losing is an unbearable feeling, especially for a Liverpool player. We played brilliantly midweek and tried to repeat that today. It’s a bitter defeat, but we have another game on Wednesday.”
Liverpool’s points tally remains at 36, placing them fourth in the Premier League. If Manchester United, Chelsea, Brentford, and Newcastle all win their matches this weekend, the Reds will drop to eighth place.
