Virgil van Dijk confronted referee Stuart Attwell following Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final after match-winner Lucas Bergvall avoided a sending off
An angry Virgil van Dijk told Stuart Attwell he had made a mistake following Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
Lucas Bergvall’s strike four minutes from time handed Spurs the advantage in the tie, with the second leg to be held at Anfield in February. But Liverpool were left furious that Bergvall was on the pitch to score the winner, with the midfielder appearing to foul Kostas Tsimikas while on a yellow card.
Referee Attwell declined to show the Spurs star a second yellow, allowing him to remain on the pitch to score the winner. The Reds were left furious with the official, with Van Dijk confronting him at the final whistle.
The Dutchman appeared to have an angry exchange with the referee before heading back to the dressing room. And Van Dijk has now revealed that he made it clear to Attwell that a mistake had been made.
“Listen I think it was quite obvious that here was going to be a second yellow. It is what is. He made a mistake in my opinion and I told him that. He didn’t agree, but everyone on the sideline can see that he did,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
“He should have been off. There’s a linesman, a fourth offficial, a VAR, a referee. It was a big moment. We played against an intense team with good attacking players. Unfortunately we didn’t score. It’s half-time now and I’m looking forward to the game back at Anfield.
“At times we could have done better but that’s part of football. We created some dangerus moments but they were bale to defend it better than two weeks ago. We have another 90 minutes to go and I’m really looking forward to that.”
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Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou insisted Attwell had made the right decision. He told Sky Sports: “The rule is, if advantage gets played and it’s not a cynical tackle, it’s not a yellow vard. To me that was pretty clear. That’s the rule. We abided by the rules today.”
Van Dijk’s stance was backed by Sky’s punditry team, including former Spurs stars Michael Dawson and Jamie Redknapp. Dawson did insist that the first foul by Bergvall did not deserve a booking, but that the youngster should have seen red.
He said: “If Stuart Attwell gets the first one right he puts himself in a position. I don’t think the first one is a yellow card. He gives him an opportunity and a decision to make. The second should have been a yellow card. If you get one right and one wrong you can’t even it up.”
Redknapp meanwhile insisted that the desicision had a huge impact on the course of the match. He pointed out that Tsimikas had been forced to go off for treatment, leaving Liverpool with 10 men.
He said: “It has a monumental effect on the rest of the game. He has to come off for treatment and that leaves Liverpool with 10 men. So not only do you still have Bergvall on the pitch but Liverpool have to play with 10 men. But Spurs certainly make it count.”
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