Jürgen Klopp pointed to a Virgil van Dijk ‘mistake’ as the moment that triggered Liverpool’s collapse against Aston Villa on Monday.
The Reds had looked to be on course for victory in Klopp’s final away game as manager as they led 3-1 with just over five minutes of regular time remaining. Jhon Durán though struck twice in just three minutes to rescue a point for his side.
The first of his goals came when Van Dijk passed to Alexis Mac Allister under pressure inside his own penalty area. The Argentine was disposed by Callum Chambers, who fed Durán to bring Villa to within one goal.
The equalizer had more than a slice of good fortune for the hosts, with Moussa Diaby’s strike taking a big deflection off Durán, leaving Alisson helpless as the ball bounced into the net. Giving his thoughts on the game to Sky Sports, Klopp believes Van Dijk’s pass was the catalyst for Villa’s comeback.
“Before we changed, we gave them too many chances,” Klopp said. “It was very intense for the boys. They created too much. They were too often in our box and we made the changes.
“Then we made a mistake. We shouldn’t have passed the ball there. It happens but in that moment, it opens the door.”
Despite missing out on a win on his final away day, Klopp was, as usual, full of praise for his side. “The character from the boys tonight was outstanding in our situation,” he added.
“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.”
Liverpool.com says: It would be more than a little harsh to lay the blame solely at Van Dijk’s feet. After all, it was a loose touch from Mac Allister that allowed Chambers to nip in and take the ball away. Still, there was probably a much lower-risk pass to Joe Gomez at left-back which the Liverpool captain should have perhaps taken.
Nevertheless, there is a wider issue that Arne Slot will need to solve of the Reds not taking control when they’re on top in games. Dropping points on Monday won’t cost Liverpool anything, but it’s a problem that has ultimately cost Klopp the chance to end his tenure with more trophies.
