After dominating their opponents in the previous game against Chelsea, Liverpool was swept away by the atmosphere of the stadium in the big game against Arsenal.
The first half of the match was dominated by the home team, but in the closing minutes, an own goal from Luis Diaz’s persistence brought the game back on track.
In the second half, Liverpool showed signs of a comeback, with both teams creating chances.
The second half has shown resilience in the second half this season, but one mistake changed the game completely in the 67th minute when a long ball was sent behind the final line, resulting in a coordination error by Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker.
The ball fell in front of the competing Gabriel Martinelli, who slotted home the winner into the empty net. The goal rallied the stadium and the players, who had been a bit quiet, and ultimately led to another goal and a second loss of the season.
Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, who was involved in the error that turned the game, claimed all the blame for the incident after the game, admitting that it was a momentary lapse in judgment.
He admitted that it was a momentary lapse in judgment and said that he would do everything in his power to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
“Eventually [it was] a very tough day, definitely. I think the 2-1 goal, I take full responsibility for that, but it’s a big turning point in the game,”
“I should have done better, I should have made a better decision there.”
“It hurts for me, and it hurts for the rest of the team. It was a big turning point in the game because I think especially after the break, we were so good. We had opportunities, we were dominant and I think the atmosphere started to become a little bit more nervous.”
“Arsenal is a very good team and they will always try to stay in the game, but we were very dominant, especially in the second half. And then came the turning point. It’s my responsibility. I should just clear it, but I made the split-second wrong decision and unfortunately these things happen sometimes in football. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it hurts.”
“These things haven’t happened too many times in my career but it’s a tough one. I will recover from this because I will learn from things that don’t go well, but I will take the responsibility.”
“I’m not looking for excuses. At the highest level, it’s a split-second decision that you make. I chose to let the ball bounce and put my body in between. Alisson touched me a little and that’s why he couldn’t clear it. Things happen, and I take full responsibility for this. I will try to make sure these things don’t happen.”
Sky Sports News