Virgil van Dijk shared what he said to the referee regarding Lucas Bergvall’s disputed winning goal in the match between Spurs and Liverpool.

Virgil van Dijk has revealed what he told referee Stuart Atwell regarding Lucas Bergvall’s controversial match-winning goal in Tottenham’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup. Van Dijk explained that he believed Bergvall should have received a second yellow card for a reckless tackle on Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas just moments before scoring.

Van Dijk told Sky Sports: “It was quite clear it should have been a second yellow. It was a coincidence that he scored the winner shortly after. I told the referee he made a mistake, but he disagreed. Everyone on the sidelines could see it was supposed to be a second yellow. He should have been sent off, and with the linesman, fourth official, VAR, and the referee all there, it’s baffling he wasn’t.”

While Van Dijk didn’t blame the decision for the loss, he called it a significant moment in the match. Liverpool manager Arne Slot agreed with Van Dijk, stating that Bergvall deserved a second yellow for the foul on Tsimikas.

Slot added, “It’s clear it should have been a second yellow for Bergvall. On Sunday, a decision went against Spurs, today it went for them. It’s unfortunate for us.”

The defeat ended Liverpool’s 24-match unbeaten streak and was only their second loss since Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool will have the chance to make a comeback when they host Tottenham in the second leg next

month.