Virgil van Dijk did not hold back after Liverpool’s dramatic 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday, admitting the performance was “far below par” and urging his teammates to respond quickly.
The Reds saw their seven-game winning streak across all competitions end in London as Eddie Nketiah struck with virtually the final kick of the match at Selhurst Park.
Speaking after the game, the captain underlined the importance of balance (via Liverpool FC).
“The biggest challenge now is to stay calm. I have mentioned it many times: never get too high or too low. Just work and don’t listen to the outside world too much,” Van Dijk said.
ALSO READ: How long could it take for Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez to shine at Liverpool
Van Dijk calls for urgency after below-par display
Liverpool fell behind after just nine minutes when Ismaila Sarr opened the scoring for Palace.
Alisson Becker produced a string of vital saves to prevent further damage, keeping the Reds in the game. Federico Chiesa’s 87th-minute equaliser looked to have salvaged a point, but Nketiah’s late strike handed Liverpool their first defeat of the season.
Van Dijk admitted the Reds could not complain about the result.
“You know when you can do better and everyone knew that. We are disappointed in our performance. Disappointed in the loss, but especially the way we went about it. I think if we got a draw, then we took already one point too many.
“Palace deserved the win they eventually got as well.”
He pointed to basic errors that gave Palace momentum:
“We were sloppy in possession, didn’t win our second-ball fight, and we created momentum for them. They could have been three or four up by half-time.
“We are lucky that we have, in my opinion, the best goalkeeper in the world to save us.”
Liverpool now face a critical response test as they prepare for a Champions League trip to Galatasaray on Tuesday.
Van Dijk insisted there is no need for panic but warned the standards must rise immediately.
“I don’t think there is any reason to worry, but we have to improve pretty quickly because obviously we play in Turkiye on Tuesday [against Galatasaray in the Champions League]. We have a very difficult game there as well, so we have to be ready.”
The captain stressed that the issue was not about scoring late goals but about the overall level of play:
“The issue is our performance. Especially first half, it was far below par. That is something we have to improve.
“It doesn’t really matter if we score late because sometimes teams are difficult to break down and you have to find a way to win games.”
“Sometimes you can have these days. Hopefully this is the only day this season that we do that.”
ALSO READ: Arne Slot delivers honest verdict after Liverpool’s surprise loss