‘Liverpool have got a problem’ – Perisic penalty puts PSV ahead after Van Dijk handball
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Liverpool endured a rocky start to their ultimately crushing 4-1 UEFA Champions League defeat against PSV, with Virgil van Dijk conceding an “outrageous penalty” to gift their opponents an early lead.
Barely five minutes had elapsed when Spanish referee Alejandro Hernandez pointed to the spot after Liverpool captain Van Dijk raised his arm inside the box from a corner.
Van Dijk appealed for a push in the back, but the match official refused to overturn his decision as former Tottenham player Ivan Perisic converted from 12 yards to give the Dutch side an early advantage.
Speaking on TNT Sports’ Goals Show Xtra, former Scotland and Everton midfielder Don Hutchison described Van Dijk’s actions as “ludicrous” for a player of his experience.
Hutchison reflected: “If you’re Virgil van Dijk, if you’re Liverpool, don’t create any drama five minutes into a game. That’s one of the worst penalty giveaways I’ve seen for years.
“He will claim he got pushed in the back, but nevertheless, that’s awful. Sometimes, when you get pushed in the back, your hands can go in the air. But I’ve got no out for him whatsoever. That is a stonewall penalty.
“A ludicrous penalty giveaway. There are numerous complaints. I’m not sure what Van Dijk’s complaints are about. It’s an outrageous penalty giveaway.”
Van Dijk trudged back to the restart, berating the match official for allowing the on-field decision to stand.
Arne Slot told TNT Sports after the match that Van Dijk felt he had been pushed, causing him to flail his arm.
“I think he got a little push, that’s what I saw, what he wanted to say to the referee,” Slot said. “Little push, unbalanced and that’s why he raised his arm and made the handball. I don’t think VAR will ever overturn a small push like that.”
It was the ninth time in their last 11 games that Liverpool had conceded the opening goal, with Arne Slot’s side only managing to win on one of those previous occasions, a 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Journalist Rory Smith, speaking on Goals Show Xtra, added: “Van Dijk was in the process of claiming for a push, and he’s put his hand on the ball – that seems to be what happened.
‘Exactly what they needed’ – Szoboszlai levels for Liverpool in fast start at Anfield
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“For a team that has got an appalling record when going behind, that’s really not an ideal way to start in the Champions League, is it? I coach my son’s U8s team, and we sometimes concede penalties like that where someone forgets they can’t handle it.”
In scoring in the sixth minute, Perisic became the third-earliest visiting goalscorer at Anfield against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League, behind only Boavista’s Elpidio Silva in September 2001 (third minute) and Sevilla’s Wissam Ben Yedder in September 2017 (fifth minute), as per Opta.
PSV’s initial lead was short-lived as Dominik Szoboszlai was well-placed to score after Cody Gakpo’s shot was parried into his path by goalkeeper Matej Kovar just 10 minutes later.
Van Dijk then very nearly atoned for his error after seeing his own effort at a corner cannon off the crossbar as Liverpool looked to complete the turnaround to ease the pressure on manager Slot.
But in the second-half, Guus Til and a Couhaib Driouech brace for the visitors compounded The Reds’ recent struggles – condemning Slot’s side to a ninth defeat from their last 12 matches.
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