Highlights
- Wayne Rooney criticised Virgil Van Dijk for comments about Liverpool’s upcoming early kick-off against West Ham United.
- The Reds’ defender was disappointed after his side were beaten 2-0 by local rivals Everton as they dropped vital points in the title race.
- Rooney has told Liverpool players to ‘get on with it’ after hearing the Dutchman’s comments.
Wayne Rooney hit back at Virgil van Dijk after the defender mentioned his Liverpool side were scheduled to play another 12.30pm kick-off against West Ham on Saturday, April 27. That fixture at the London Stadium will be played three days after the Reds were beaten in the Merseyside derby by local rivals Everton.
Arsenal and Manchester City fans were overjoyed as Jurgen Klopp’s team slumped to a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Despite being within three points of the top of the Premier League table, it now looks like an almost impossible task for the club to secure a 20th top-flight title.
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Jarrad Branthwaite forced the ball across the line after a mix-up in the Liverpool back-line before a Dominic Calvert-Lewin header in the second-half gave Sean Dyche’s men the three points. Wasteful finishing from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez cost the Reds after the pair returned to the starting line-up.
A disappointed Van Dijk told Sky Sports: “Now we have to pick ourselves up and be ready for an early kick-off on Saturday again.” This comment didn’t sit right with Rooney, who was covering the game as a pundit.
Rooney Hits Back at Van Dijk
Man Utd legend didn’t hold back
Former Manchester United striker Rooney is more than familiar with playing multiple games in a short period of time, and he showed no sympathy for the Liverpool players upon hearing Van Dijk’s interview. The 38-year-old said:
“Again we are hearing about 12:30 kick-offs after he’s [Van Dijk] just lost a derby. That Liverpool team should want to be on the pitch tomorrow because when you lose a derby game you want the next game to come quick. We’ve heard it so many times with Liverpool this season. Get on with it, it’s part of your job.”
The game at the London Stadium will be the Reds’ fifth early kick-off of the 2023-24 season, and it is hugely important as another loss would diminish any small remaining chances of lifting the Premier League trophy in May.
Van Dijk: ‘We Weren’t Good Enough’
The Reds’ skipper disappointed with the performance
Speaking after the game, Van Dijk was in a sombre mood, admitting he was: “Very disappointed in so many ways.” The Dutchman urged his teammates to take accountability for the poor performance and result as he almost conceded the title race was over for Liverpool. He added:
“I think everyone needs to take a look in the mirror and look at their own performances. Do they really want to win the league? We’re still fighting and we have games after tonight but if we play like we did today, then we have no chance to win the title.”
Scoring goals from open play has become an issue for Klopp’s team in recent weeks, as Nunez and Salah in particular have been extremely wayward with their finishing and Van Dijk admitted this is what cost Liverpool against their rivals: “We had clear-cut chances to score in the first-half but in the end, we weren’t good enough.”
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