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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk questioned referee Tony Harrington’s composure during the Premier League leaders’ 2-2 draw at home to Fulham, which included a straight red card for Reds defender Andy Robertson after 17 minutes.
Robertson’s brief involvement included a yellow card, treatment for an injury, blame for Andreas Pereira’s 11th-minute opener and his dismissal for denying Harry Wilson a clear goal-scoring opportunity after the left-back mishandled the ball.
“We continued, we tried” 💪
Virgil van Dijk on Liverpool trailing TWICE to draw against Fulham 💭 pic.twitter.com/n1lL8MZltu
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024
“I spoke to the Fulham players and we felt the referee was nervous,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports, via BBC Sport.
“I felt he couldn’t communicate properly with Robertson. We all talk about protecting the referee, but I couldn’t deal with him.
“We cannot blame the referee. It shouldn’t be a big deal because he’s not the reason we dropped points.”
“We ended in a draw and I don’t think we can blame the referee for that” 💬
Arne Slot on refereeing decisions in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Fulham 👇 pic.twitter.com/kCFHAEPwbX
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024
Liverpool vs Fulham
Robertson’s red card appeared to go uncontested, as striker Wilson headed directly for goal behind Liverpool’s defence.
The crowd booed during a lengthy video review by the assistant referee to decide whether Wilson was offside before the penalty was upheld.
Cody Gakpo equalized with a header from Mohamed Salah’s cross two minutes after the break, but Rodrigo Muniz put the Cottagers back in front 14 minutes from time.
Returning from an 11-game injury lay-off, substitute Jota then turned smartly and slotted in a calm finish four minutes from time to move the leaders five points ahead of second-placed Chelsea.
“If you ask me about 50/50 moments, we’ll be here all afternoon talking, not about the game” 😲
Marco Silva was NOT happy when he was asked if Issa Diop or Andreas Pereira should have received red cards 🟥 pic.twitter.com/702KQNEcIb
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 14, 2024
Van Dijk: Liverpool ‘could have had more’
Van Dijk said it was “always going to be difficult” against opponents who led after 86 minutes in the 4-3 defeat at Liverpool last season.
The Cottagers extended their unbeaten run to nine games after holding them to a 1-1 draw against third-placed Arsenal last Sunday.
“The big comeback is very positive,” Van Dijk added. “We showed fight and tried to create chances. It could have been more, but we take the point and move on.
“Keep calm – easier said than done. We saw (Fulham are difficult) last year, and last week against Arsenal. We had to turn it around and keep fighting.
“We tried. It is what it is. We will take the point, recover quickly and be ready for the (Carabao Cup quarter-final) game (at Southampton at 20:00 GMT) on Wednesday.”
