Jamie Redknapp shows little sympathy for Virgil van Dijk following the Liverpool captain’s post-match complaint.

 

 

Jamie Redknapp showed little sympathy for Virgil van Dijk after the Liverpool skipper suggested he had been fouled in the build-up to Bournemouth’s dramatic stoppage-time winner on Saturday night.

Liverpool had clawed their way back from two goals down to make it 2–2 late on, and that scoreline remained as the game entered added time. But after Bournemouth won a throw-in just outside the box, the Reds failed to cope with what followed. Amine Adli capitalised on some calamitous defending to stab home the winner, sparking wild celebrations at the Vitality Stadium and leaving an enraged Arne Slot confronting the officials at full time.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Van Dijk felt he had been unfairly impeded before the decisive goal. “I felt I was clearly blocked, but the referee and VAR didn’t see it,” he said. “We have to accept it, but in my opinion I was blocked. I can say it shouldn’t stand, but it’s been given.”

Redknapp, however, broke down the incident on Sky Sports and dismissed the claim, explaining that no Bournemouth player was at fault. “He was blocked, but by his own teammate,” Redknapp said. “Watch Virgil’s right foot — as he tries to jump, he clips his own man and can’t get the header.”

In the heat of the moment, Van Dijk may have believed the contact came from an opponent, but the replays showed otherwise. As Redknapp pointed out, Curtis Jones accidentally collided with his captain, and even after that mix-up Liverpool still had the chance to clear their lines — only to completely fail, allowing Adli to pounce.

Despite getting on the scoresheet himself, it was a rough evening for Van Dijk. He was also at fault earlier in the game, failing to deal with a long ball in the lead-up to Evanilson’s opening goal.

When Liverpool reflect on the match in the days ahead, they’ll likely accept that this painful defeat was down to their own mistakes rather than any refereeing decisions. The shambolic way Adli’s winner was conceded will linger on the long trip back to Merseyside, with the Reds now needing results elsewhere to avoid slipping out of the top four.