Wayne Rooney rages at ‘lazy’ Van Dijk incident in Liverpool loss v PSG
Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday night via a penalty shootout defeat to Ligue 1 leaders PSG.
The Reds headed to Anfield with a 1-0 lead heading into the second leg of their round of 16 tie with the French giants, but it proved not to be enough.
PSG ace Ousmane Dembele capitalised on a defensive mix-up from Liverpool to tap home on 12 minutes and establish a 1-0 lead for his side on the night.
The aggregate score remained level at 1-1, even after 30 minutes of additional time, prompting a penalty shootout which PSG won 4-1 as Reds duo Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones saw their spot-kick attempts saved by Gianluigi Donnaruma.
Wayne Rooney fires criticism at Virgil van Dijk
The Anfield faithful were left disappointed when the visitors took the lead through Dembele, after defender Ibrahima Konate failed to make a clearance and could only divert the ball into the prolific forward’s pathway.
But former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney took aim at Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk’s role in the PSG goal and told Amazon Prime’s live coverage of the game [11 March]: “This goal from Liverpool’s perspective is wrong in so many ways.
“They are trying to press the ball and Van Dijk gets lazy.
“If you keep your eye on Van Dijk, he’s walking and leaves a massive gap to Dembele.
“All he has to do is come across and cover Dembele because there is no other pass for Paris to get out and he doesn’t.
“Dembele gets it and he’s got a lot of space, gets the ball out wide and then Konate doesn’t switch on and then he reacts.
“Dembele makes a good run and gets a tap in.”
Liverpool can still enjoy a historic season
The Reds will be disappointed that their hopes of winning a seventh Champions League title are over for another season, following penalty shootout heartache at the hands of PSG.
But come the end of the season, Arne Slot’s men will surely have a Premier League trophy to celebrate, as they currently hold an unassailable 15-point lead over second place Arsenal.
Furthermore, Sunday afternoon presents Slot and co with an opportunity to win their first silverware of the campaign, as they take on Newcastle at Wembley in the League Cup final.
The Reds will fancy their chances of getting the better of a Newcastle side who sit sixth in the Premier League, but are without star man Anthony Gordon, who is suspended after being shown a red card during his side’s FA Cup fifth round defeat to Brighton.
If Liverpool go on to win two trophies this season, including their first Premier League title since 2020, it will surely ease the pain of Tuesday’s penalty shootout defeat to PSG.