Virgil van Dijk has taken aim at referee Tony Harrington after Liverpool were held to a draw by Fulham on Saturday.
After Andreas Pereira fired the visitors into an early lead at Anfield, the Reds were dealt another blow when left-back Andy Robertson saw red just 17 minutes in.
Liverpool ultimately recovered to secure a point and extend their lead at the top of the table but Van Dijk insisted the two teams were in agreement that Harrington had not been at his best.
‘A great comeback is very positive. It’s disappointing having 10 men but we showed fight, kept trying to create chances. Could have been more but we take the point and move on.
‘Stay calm. It’s easier to say than do it. It was always going to be tough against them. We saw it last year and last week against Arsenal. We had to turn it around and keep fighting. We tried.
‘I had conversations with the players of Fulham and we felt like the referee was nervous. He couldn’t properly communicate with Robertson I felt.
‘We can’t put the blame on the referee. We all speak about protecting the referee but I couldn’t speak to him. It shouldn’t be a big thing because he isn’t why we dropped points.
‘It is what it is. We take the points, recover quickly and be ready for the game on Wednesday.’
More to follow
