Following the game at the Amex Stadium, Virgil van Dijk offered his analysis on Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Simon Adingra’s goal gave the Reds a deficit midway through the first half of their Premier League match on Sunday, but Mohamed Salah’s goal and subsequent conversion of a penalty gave them the lead at the break.
Lewis Dunk’s goal from a Brighton free kick with 12 minutes remaining, though, deprived Jürgen Klopp’s team the chance to win all three points on the south coast.
Read a breakdown of Van Dijk’s assessment to Sky Sports following the final whistle…
What lessons can Liverpool learn from the draw?
We obviously came here to win, and I believe we had opportunities to do so as well, but I believe the difficult game ended in a draw. Sometimes very open on both sides. Overall, very even, but when I look at my own team, it’s clear that we had chances to try and win it.
Regarding Brighton’s first goal’s style…
It’s a risky ball, not just [Alexis Mac Allister being tackled], but also me. But it goes without saying that we strive to play out from the back. Unfortunately, this can happen in football and you will be promptly punished; it’s the top level. The way we responded in response was fantastic, and that was incredibly encouraging.
On Salah’s contribution to the team,
He is, indeed. He is a key player for the club both on and off the pitch, as is obviously always the case. He demonstrated that today as well with the two goals. Unfortunately, it wasn’t sufficient to secure the victory.
On what, in the Reds’ opinion, caused Brighton to draw even in the second half…
Miscommunication. I believe Robbo heard a shout and mistook it for Alisson; this type of misinterpretation is unacceptable. However, nobody likes to err. Sadly, there was a misunderstanding here that cost us a goal. However, overall, I’m still pleased of my team because we’ve been doing a lot of positive things over the past several weeks. Now that the international break is approaching, we need to focus on staying healthy. Hopefully, everyone succeeds, and after that, we’ll be back for a pair of highly intriguing games.