Virgil van Dijk makes 'extra' Newcastle United claim after learning FA punishment decision
Virgil van Dijk admits Liverpool were left rattled by Newcastle United in the first-half which led to some strong words at half-time.
The Reds trailed 1-0 to Alexander Isak’s stunning 35th minute opener but immediately responded after the restart through Curtis Jones.
Anthony Gordon went on to restore the Magpies’ lead before a Mohammed Salah brace flipped the game on its head. Arne Slot’s side were just over five minutes away from victory but conceded in the 90th minute to Fabian Schar.
Van Dijk was angry at his side’s display in the opening 45 minutes, though gave credit to Newcastle and their supporters.
He said: "It was a poor first half as a collective, with and without the ball, second half I think we showed what we're capable of. We started winning our battles and 50-50 challenges and obviously scored the goals but unfortunately we couldn't get over the line.
"What was lacking? Challenges. You know when you play here they have an extra edge to their game, their fans feed them, they win their challenges and we were not good at that at all and Newcastle created momentum.
“At times we were sloppy in possession but we had 50 minutes to put it right and we did but unfortunately didn't get over the line.
"At half-time I had a few things to say and others as well. You can talk about tactics but it was about winning battles and duels and second ball fights and putting them under pressure. We did that in the second half but it wasn't enough to win the game."
Van Dijk was perhaps fortunate to stay on the field when he deliberately used his shoulder to whack Gordon in the side of the face. According to United boss Eddie Howe, VAR reviewed the incident but decided against punishment, a call that left Howe “surprised”.