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Furious Virgil van Dijk insists Arsenal should NOT have been given a penalty to seal the win over Liverpool… as the defender says he has ‘no idea’ what Thiago’s challenge on Gabriel Jesus looked like in slow motion
- Virgil van Dijk is furious about decision to give Arsenal a penalty in the event of defeat
- The defender says he has ‘no idea’ what the challenge looked like in slow motion
- Thiago Alcantara was assessed as a foul on Gabriel Jesus in the penalty area
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Virgil van Dijk was honest in his post-match interview as he insisted that the Liverpool team did not think Arsenal should have been given a penalty in their game.
The home side defeated the Reds at the Emirates in the 3-2 victory for the London side. Liverpool had been in the game as they had fought back twice when Darwin Nunez canceled Gabriel Martinelli’s early goal before Roberto Firmino equalized after Bukayo Saka restored Arsenal’s lead.
However, the match was decided after Thiago was ruled to have caught Gabriel Jesus in the penalty area for a penalty, which Saka converted for his brace and the deciding goal.
Virgil van Dijk did not think Arsenal should have been given a penalty in Liverpool’s defeat
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara was judged with foul Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus
The foul was checked by VAR, but referee Michael Oliver was not ordered to go to the monitor as his penalty decision was confirmed.
Van Dijk, however, was disappointed with the decision and felt that it was not the right decision.
After the game, Sky Sports said: “Very disappointed, it was clearly a very tough game for both sides,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
“We had good moments, bad moments and it was decided by a penalty which from our point of view was not a penalty.
Bukayo Saka scored the penalty and gave Arsenal the lead and thus victory
“It’s gone so fast, I have no idea what it looked like in slow motion, but unfortunately we couldn’t take the points to bring it back to Liverpool.
The defeat leaves Liverpool 14 points behind the leaders, despite being 23 points clear of the Gunner last season.
The defender added: “It’s hard to swallow goals in general, but we know they’re at the best moment of their lives.
“They lost one, but other than that they’ve had a great season and it’s always going to be difficult.
“We had good moments, created chances sometimes, it’s hard to lose it on a penalty, but we have to make do with it.”