Van Dijk thought Man Utd were underestimated before facing Liverpool Van Dijk thought Man Utd were underestimated before facing Liverpool Virgil van Dijk thinks Manchester United were "disrespected" ahead of their 2-2 draw with Liverpool. (More Football News)22win
The spoils were shared at Anfield, where Amad Diallo's late equaliser denied the Reds all three points.
Arne Slot's side were expected to achieve victory without too many difficulties against the Red Devils, who arrived in the contest on a run of three successive defeats.
However, Ruben Amorim's men initially took the lead through Lisandro Martinez, before holding their nerve to snatch a point later on.
lele247 slotLiverpool 2-2 Manchester United, EPL: Ruben Amorim Keen To Keep Joshua Zirkzee At MUFCAnd Liverpool skipper Van Dijk felt his opponents were underestimated during the build-up to the showdown.
Next up, our #CarabaoCup semi-final first legpic.twitter.com/ZrwbFI7xcF
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 6, 2025"Do I feel United were disrespected? Yes," he said. "I heard, in the press conference, someone asked if we were going to rotate players against United.
"I was shocked. It is one of the biggest games of the season and United will always make it tough. To hear that, I was surprised.
"We are playing against a good opponent. I think everyone from the outside world forgets that, judging by the sound that had been going around before the game. They have good players. They are obviously a work in progress like we are, but they made it difficult for us."
Van Dijk also jumped to the defence of team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was subjected to widespread criticism following a below-par performance at Anfield.
The England full-back, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, but his captain does not think his display was affected by the ongoing speculation.
"No. I am fine with [his performance]," Van Dijk said. "Trent has his own people around him, his family, and we are there as well.
"He wants to perform in the best way possible, like we all do. That is the main focus. In my opinion, maybe ask him, that is the distraction, the game."
India desperately sought an equalizer. They even disposed of goalkeeper PR Sreejesh in the quest for a late goal. The push continued till the very last second of the match, when Shamsher Singh had a clear shot at goal but his strike went over the bar.
"That was a difficult match, we got our chances but could not convert them22win, that's it. Then you can see it in the scoreline. It's a matter of homework," India's long-time goalkeeper Sreejesh said after the close defeat.