Virgil van Dijk did not want to make a big deal of the referee after Liverpool twice came back to draw against Fulham, but he felt the official was a “little nervous.”
To say Saturday’s game was dramatic and controversial would be an understatement.
Andy Robertson was the only player shown a red card after being deemed to have denied a goalscoring opportunity, but two reckless tackles from Fulham players were overlooked.
Referee Tony Harrington did not quite have a handle on the occasion, and it showed. It was the obvious talking point after the match.
Van Dijk spoke to Sky Sports after the 2-2 draw and noted how he and Fulham players sensed Harrington was “nervous” making the big calls as he did not invite any dialogue.
Liverpool’s captain said: “I had conversations with the other players of Fulham, and we all felt like he [the referee] was a little bit nervous. I don’t know.
“We kept going, we kept trying” ?
Virgil van Dijk on Liverpool coming from behind TWICE to draw against Fulham ? pic.twitter.com/n1lL8MZltu
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024
“We felt it a little bit (that the referee was nervous), but together with Robertson we couldn’t properly communicate with him, I felt.
“It is what it is. We can’t put the blame on the referee, but it’s also part of the game.”
Pressed on if, as a captain, he would like more dialogue from the officials, Van Dijk added: “We are apparently the only ones who can speak to the referee.
“We all speak about protecting the referee, but if I want to speak on behalf of my team I should be able to.
“We shouldn’t make a big thing out of this, it’s probably going to happen now, but it isn’t the reason why we dropped points.
“We take the points and move on.”
The questionable referee decisions aside, Van Dijk was pleased with the fight Liverpool showed amid the adversity of the red card and twice going behind.
“A good comeback, very positive. It’s disappointing having 10 men, but we showed fight, kept trying to find the free man to create chances,” he said.
“It could have been more but, eventually, we take the point and move on.”
