Jurgen Klopp blamed Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool giving up a 3-1 lead to Aston Villa.
His skipper Virgil van Dijk was the culprit of a “mistake” according to the German boss, which led to Aston Villa’s dramatic Premier League fightback. The Reds were leading 3-1 at Villa Park, after an Emiliano Martinez own goal, a Cody Gakpo tap-in and Jarrell Quansah’s header putting them in control, despite a a Youri Tielemans equaliser in the first half.
But it all fell apart for Klopp’s side with five minutes remaining. Van Dijk picked up the ball in his own area but then put Alexis Mac Allister under pressure with a needless pass. Callum Chambers dispossessed him, and the ball fell to Jhon Duran, who fired a low shot home from the edge of the area, reports the Express.
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Two minutes later, Duran made it 3-3 with a freak goal, when he fortunately diverted an Moussa Diaby’s pass, leaving Alisson stranded in the goal. The late collapse came after Klopp made a quadruple substitution on the 75th minute, but the German boss insisted the changes were necessary and pointed to Van Dijk’s error.
“Before we changed, we gave them too many chances,” he told Sky Sports. “It was very intense for the boys. They created too much. They were too often in our box and we made the changes.
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(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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“Then we made a mistake. We shouldn’t have passed the ball there. It happens but in that moment, it opens the door.”
Despite the late collapse, the outgoing manager said he was still pleased with his team’s performance, although he conceded they found it tough after Dhuran nicked a goal. “The character from the boys tonight was outstanding in our situation,” he said.
“We wanted to win the game. In the moment, when we gave away the 3-2, that was really tricky. That’s it, that’s the story of the game.”
But there’s a silver lining for Klopp as he dodged a touchline ban by avoiding a yellow card, setting him up for a massive farewell at Anfield on Sunday following a trophy laden spell in charge in which he won the Premier League and Champions League.
With a final hurrah on the cards, Liverpool will take to the pitch against Wolves, celebrating the end of Klopp’s epic eight-and-a-half-year stint with a guaranteed third spot finish.