Van Dijk: Red card made it very difficult against City
Virgil van Dijk said Liverpool's 3-0 defeat to Man City turned on Gravenberch's red card, which made it 'very difficult' for the ten-man Reds at Anfield.
· Kickhell
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday became near-impossible to salvage once his side were reduced to ten men.
The loss at Anfield was Liverpool's first of the Premier League season, with the match turning sharply after Ryan Gravenberch's second-half dismissal for two yellow cards.
Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku scored in quick succession following the red card, before Rayan Cherki added a third for City late on.
"The first half was good on our side, we showed a lot of intensity," Van Dijk told Sky Sports after the final whistle. "We could have done maybe better on some occasions where we got on the break with them."
The Dutch defender said Gravenberch was perhaps unfortunate but accepted the decision's consequences. "The matter of fact is he gets a second yellow. Then it becomes a very difficult game against them again."
Van Dijk also questioned the consistency of the officiating, noting that Ronald Araujo was booked inside the first minute while other potential yellow-card offences went unpunished during the match.
