Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says his side will not give up after a 3-0 loss to Manchester City, but manager Arne Slot admits the title race is not their focus
MANCHESTER: Virgil van Dijk insists Liverpool will not surrender after a demoralising 3-0 defeat to Manchester City.
The loss at the Etihad Stadium leaves the Reds eighth in the Premier League with five defeats in six league games.
Liverpool captain Van Dijk acknowledged the result was a significant blow but promised a determined response.
“We are not going to give up whatsoever,” Van Dijk stated. “We are in November and we are ready for a long season and a big fight.”
A controversial decision saw Van Dijk’s first-half equaliser disallowed for an offside call against Andy Robertson.
Manager Arne Slot refused to blame the officiating for the comprehensive defeat.
“I will not say because of that we lost the game,” Slot admitted. “At 1-1 if City continued like they were playing, we would have struggled in the second half as well.”
Despite their poor form, Liverpool sit just two points behind third-placed Chelsea.
Slot emphasised that immediate results must take priority over title aspirations.
“We need to get results before we can think about that (the title race),” the Dutchman added. “The first focus is getting results, the last thing we should focus on is the title race.”
Manchester City’s victory featured goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku.
The win moved Pep Guardiola’s side within four points of leaders Arsenal and marked the manager’s 1,000th game in charge.
Guardiola noted his team had learned from last season’s trophyless campaign.
“Last season could not do that,” Guardiola reflected. “We lost energy. I tried desperately to do anything, but I was not able to make a click to the team.”
The City manager said his players needed to prove their title credentials against the English champions.
“I said to the players ‘guys, don’t do it because yesterday Arsenal didn’t win. Let’s do it to believe ourselves’,” Guardiola explained. “Today I think we proved it.” – AFP
