Van Dijk, 34, had a difficult outing against Ruben Amorim’s men and was involved in the sequence that led to Bryan Mbeumo’s early goal just two minutes into the match. ..Continue Reading
The Dutch defender, Mbeumo, and Alexis Mac Allister all contested a high ball, which dropped to Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes then played it wide to Amad on United’s right flank, opposite Liverpool’s left.
Amad took on left-back Milos Kerkez before delivering a precise pass behind Liverpool’s backline, which Mbeumo converted.
It seemed Van Dijk attempted to pass off the advancing Cameroonian to Ibrahima Konate, but Mbeumo slipped between both centre-backs, leaving the Anfield crowd stunned.
The result marked Liverpool’s fourth consecutive defeat, placing them four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after eight games.
New arrivals Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, and Jeremie Frimpong have yet to hit their stride, while Mohamed Salah has struggled to make a meaningful impact.
Van Dijk and Konate have also faced criticism for their performances this season, with a former Premier League midfielder suggesting the captain is “blaming” rather than “leading”.
“Virgil van Dijk, to me, is not leading at the moment. He’s blaming,” former Chelsea player Craig Burley told ESPN.
“Kerkez is having a bad time, there’s no doubt about it.
“He’s getting swallowed up by the pressure of going in with these big players in this huge football club with these big expectations, but I don’t think it helps when your captain’s looking at him every two minutes and blaming him or digging him out.
“Even at the end, the clearance that comes off Kerkez’s face. What’s he supposed to do? He’s tucking in behind Van Dijk.
“Van Dijk’s turning around, and he’s gesturing to him. The crowd see it, and I just don’t think that helps the situation.”
Kerkez, who joined Liverpool from Bournemouth in the summer, has had a rocky start and was even described as playing “like a ten-year-old” by Gary Neville on the ‘Gary Neville Podcast’ following the match.
In his eight Premier League appearances for the reigning champions, the 21-year-old has yet to record a goal or assist and has looked shaky defensively.
Liverpool will look to bounce back on Wednesday when they travel to face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League group stage.
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