Virgil van Dijk tells Manchester City to expect hostile crowds after Anfield encounter
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk warned Manchester City players they must learn to cope with hostile atmospheres after City were barracked throughout their visit to Anfield on Sunday. He said he would hold off on commenting further about the club’s admitted financial breaches until their appeal is complete.
An independent commission found Manchester City had overstated their income by £830.69m and would have been in breach of spending regulations in the Premier League and Europe if they had provided a true picture of their finances, and the club were found guilty of almost all the charges they faced. City continue to deny wrongdoing and their appeal hearing must be completed before Christmas, with a verdict then to be communicated within 30 days. The Anfield crowd repeatedly chanted that City were cheats during the match.
Commenting on the atmosphere, Van Dijk said: “I think everyone could hear it,” and added: “Everyone can share their feelings and I don’t think Anfield will be the only place where it will be the case because fans will have their feelings. But for players I don’t think it is a good idea at this moment in time [to share their feelings].”
Manchester City ran out 3-0 winners, a game that Van Dijk said turned when Liverpool were reduced to 10 men by the 62nd-minute dismissal of Ryan Gravenberch. Van Dijk questioned aspects of the officiating: “Was the red card the right decision? That’s for others [to decide],” he said. “I don’t even know how the first yellow card [for Gravenberch] was. But after the first minute when Araújo got a yellow card for asking for a yellow card, there were so many other players from the other team asking for a red card. That’s just that. We can’t use it as an excuse. We went down to 10 men and conceded pretty quickly after that and then it’s a very tough one.”
Liverpool pointed to several incidents they considered inconsistent, noting Ronald Araújo was booked early for waving an imaginary card and demanding Marc Guéhi be booked for diving. When Gravenberch fouled the City substitute Jérémy Doku for his second yellow, Erling Haaland held up his right hand and appeared to suggest the offence merited a booking. Rúben Dias and Guéhi ran towards referee Chris Kavanagh, with Guéhi appearing to point towards the tunnel, and Kavanagh took no action against the City players.
Van Dijk was asked whether the finding against City altered his view of past title races, including the 2013-14 season in which City finished with 86 points and Liverpool were runners-up with 84. He replied: “No,” and added: “Because I really enjoyed our rivalry and it was a great rivalry on the pitch. What happened off the pitch is for others to find a conclusion on and then let’s see.”
On commenting about City’s breaches, Van Dijk said: “It’s still a little bit ongoing so I don’t think it’s smart for me to comment on it right now,” and he added: “But when the [appeal] verdict comes out I will definitely have my opinion and I will probably share it.” The appeal timetable requires the hearing to be completed before Christmas and the verdict to be communicated within 30 days.