Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk had nothing but praise for Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak, after his side suffered a disheartening 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday night.
The current European champions have enjoyed a memorable season so far, however their Wednesday night match against Atletico Madrid will be a game they will soon want to forget.
Liverpool are currently sitting 25 points clear at the top of table. They have a healthy gap between them and rivals Manchester City, and they are within touching distance of their first ever Premier League title.
However, their Champions League campaign has come to an end, after they lost 4-2 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid.
Pre-match predictions
Before the game, The Reds had gone 42 games unbeaten at Anfield. Therefore, it would have been difficult to deny the home fans their optimism coming into this Champions League knockout match.
Many of them believed they would emerge with a victory, despite acknowledging the defensive difficulties they knew they would be facing with Atletico Madrid.
Listen to Liverpool fans and their pre-match predictions below.
The match
However, the match did not play out the way they anticipated. Although, a first half goal from Georginio Wijnaldum put the hosts ahead. It was Atletico’s goalkeeper, Jan Oblak, who really stole the show.
An inspired second-half performance from the Atletico keeper kept the visitors in the game, consequently the sides were level at 1-1 on aggregate after 90 minutes.
Roberto Firmino then gave Liverpool hope in the first half of extra time. An instinctive finish from the Brazilian put the hosts ahead on aggregate.
Yet, an impressive brace from Atletico’s Marcos Llorente sparked a comeback for the visitors.
Finally, it was the goal from Alvaro Morata in dying moments of extra time that struck the killer blow. Consequently, Liverpool’s Champions League run was swiftly concluded.
Post-match
After the match, Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk praised his team’s performance, and had nothing but admiration for Jan Oblak. He said, “I think it went right for 95 minutes at least.
“We were outstanding I think, we were dominating, we put a lot of intensity into the game, which they had to deal with. They have an outstanding goalkeeper, he kept them alive. He pulled of some great saves, so we tried everything.
“We expected exactly how they played tonight; I think everyone could expect it if you look at them. It’s their right to approach the game like they did, I think we did everything that we could.”
Liverpool are due to face Everton in their next game. Although, the Merseyside derby could be played without the fans. As the remaining Premier League matches will reportedly be played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Virgil explained how he and the team are already looking forward to the derby. He said, “Everyone has to be ready for another intense game, and we will be.
“Everyone wants to play those kinds of games; I want to play those kinds of games. Let’s just go out there and enjoy it and don’t forget why we are 25 points clear at the top.”
Watch the full post-match interview with Virgil van Dijk below and follow @merseysportlive on social media for all your latest sports news and updates.
