Virgil van Dijk stated that strong wind was a key factor causing Liverpool to concede the first goal. He also revealed that he was clearly blocked during the winning goal, but the referee and VAR did not view it as a foul.
On 25 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's captain, admitted it was a "hard to accept" game after the Reds suffered a dramatic 2-3 defeat away to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday night, with the winner scored by Amine Adli during the 95th-minute injury time.
In this match, Liverpool fell behind 0-2 in the first half from goals by Evanilson and Alex Jiménez, scored just 7 minutes apart. However, van Dijk headed in a goal before halftime to reduce the deficit, and Dominik Szoboszlai scored a beautiful free kick to equalize in the second half, bringing the team back into the game.
But in the final seconds, Bournemouth scored the winner from a throw-in, with Amine Adli shooting the ball in, resulting in a heartbreaking loss for Liverpool.
After the match, van Dijk spoke to Sky Sports, saying,
"It's very disappointing, especially to concede in the last minute. It's really hard to accept. But we worked very hard, especially in the second half, to get back into the game."
The Dutch defender also commented on Bournemouth's winning goal, saying he felt he was blocked before the opponent scored.
"From my view on the pitch, I clearly felt I was blocked, but the referee and VAR did not consider it a foul. We have to accept that."
Van Dijk also spoke about the two early goals his team conceded, attributing them to weather conditions and brief mistakes.
"The wind was very strong, making it harder to judge the ball's direction. Conceding two goals in such a short time is definitely not good."
Nevertheless, he praised the team's response in the second half.
"The goal I scored before halftime was very important. It helped the team regain momentum. We worked hard in the second half and had several good chances, but in the end, a single throw-in cost us the game."