Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says his side were actively chasing a winning goal before a late penalty handed Manchester City a 2–1 victory at Anfield.
The Reds had taken the lead in the 76th minute through a stunning free-kick by Dominik Szoboszlai, but City hit back through Bernardo Silva before Erling Haaland converted from the spot in stoppage time to decide the Premier League clash.
Speaking after the match, Van Dijk rejected suggestions that Liverpool tried to protect their lead, insisting both teams were pushing to score after City’s equaliser.
“My feeling is that after the equaliser we were both trying everything to score the winner,” Van Dijk said. “The penalty moment decided the game.”
The Liverpool skipper admitted the hosts struggled in the opening half, where City enjoyed greater control of possession, but felt the Reds improved significantly after the interval.
“We weren’t good enough in the first half,” he said. “Second half we were much better, had more dominance on the ball at times and obviously scored a world-class free-kick.”
Van Dijk also highlighted the difficulty of managing City when they are chasing a result, saying Liverpool were never in complete control even after taking the lead.
“You are never comfortable against City, especially when they go 1–0 down,” he said. “They press more, bring on fresh players and make more runs.”
Szoboszlai was later sent off for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and will miss Liverpool’s next match against Sunderland due to suspension.
Despite the defeat, Van Dijk maintained that Liverpool showed signs of progress, particularly in the second half.
“It’s still a process,” he said. “We pushed, we tried to win it, but unfortunately the penalty was the deciding moment.”
