'Media talk': Virgil van Dijk emphatically shuts down what he's hearing after Liverpool vs Man Utd

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Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the Premier League in what turned out to be an entertaining game of football.

Despite being separated by 23 points in the league table, the two sides looked evenly matched on the night as the Red Devils took a second-half lead through Lisandro Martinez.

Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah struck in quick succession to turn the tide in Liverpool’s favour, but Amad Diallo came to frustrate Liverpool once again as they dropped two points in the title race.

It was a fantastic game of football with a tense finale, and Virgil van Dijk appeared to refute what was popularly believed about Manchester United ahead of the game.

Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool didn’t underestimate Manchester United

Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images

Liverpool have raced off the blocks under Arne Slot and have been the best team in the Premier League this season as they deservedly lead the way at the halfway mark.

Manchester United, on the other hand, have endured a turbulent season that saw Erik ten Hag being sacked in November, with Ruben Amorim taking over the reigns from the Dutchman.

PositionTeamPlayedMPWonWDrawnDLostLForGFAgainstGADiffGDPointsPts
1LiverpoolLiverpool18143145172845
2ArsenalArsenal19116238172139
3Nottm ForestNottingham Forest1911442619737
4ChelseaChelsea19105438231535

And the former Sporting CP boss’ arrival has produced a mixed bag in terms of results, due to which Liverpool were overwhelming favourites heading into the game.

Chris Sutton predicted Liverpool to win 5-0 against Manchester United, but that wasn’t to be the case as the Red Devils nearly won the game in the end through Harry Maguire.

When asked if Liverpool underestimated their opponents after dropping two points, Van Dijk quickly shut down those claims, indicating that it was all down to the chatter from the media personnel.

“That’s all the media. Media talk,” said the Liverpool skipper to BBC after the game.

“It’s nothing to do with us. We prepared for a very tough game like we have seen today. We didn’t think any of that.”

Amorim agrees with Van Dijk point

Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images

Manchester United actually played quite well on the night and it goes without saying that a draw was a fair reflection of how the game panned out at Anfield.

When asked about his reaction to the game, Amorim touched upon the fact that his side weren’t given a chance of getting anything from the game before kick-off as he seemingly agreed with the point Van Dijk made about the media.

“The expectations [of the media] were so much different to what we saw,” said Amorim via BBC.

“I get more mad because of the other games so it’s even harder to understand some things.

“It’s not about a system, the technique, it’s about something else and it’s hard to understand for the coach.

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