Liverpool travels to Old Trafford this Sunday night (9:30 p.m., April 7) to meet Manchester United in the Premier League. Having been eliminated by MU in the FA Cup here less than a month ago, Liverpool now returns with the goal of winning to maintain the top spot in the dramatic championship race with Arsenal and Man City.
Liverpool lost to MU in their meeting at Old Trafford in the FA Cup 3 weeks ago
The 3-4 loss at Old Trafford 3 weeks ago ruined Liverpool’s dream of winning the FA Cup. “The Kop” led the goals in both regular time and extra time but threw away their advantage, especially conceded in minute 120+1. In that match, Liverpool had many opportunities to finish off MU when possible but could not take advantage.
Captain midfielder Virgil Van Dijk has not forgotten that defeat and he emphasized that it will be a lesson that cannot be repeated for his teammates in the upcoming great battle. Ahead of the rematch, the Dutch player also said that Liverpool needs to improve in the way they play despite being in good form recently.
“MU started that match better, had the home fans cheering and they still had a chance to turn the situation around even though we controlled the match. And they took advantage of the little opportunity when it appeared, but next Sunday we will not let that happen. Not only this match, but in the upcoming matches, the whole team must also make good use of the opportunity.”
Van Dijk emphasized that Liverpool must win every match during this period
Van Dijk also said that although the psychology of Liverpool players will be somewhat affected by the previous loss, this is not the time to lose concentration and lose points at a sensitive time. “We want to win all the games and that should be the main goal. The next match of course has great significance for both teams, each side’s fans and outside public opinion, but the most important thing is that Liverpool must win now,” Van Dijk emphasized.
“They of course just lost to Chelsea so they won’t be in a good psychological state. However, we did not let that affect our concentration before the match or during the match.”
