Virgil van Dijk responds to Roy Keane 'arrogance' jibe after Liverpool draw with Manchester United

Reds captain pours cold water on argument after stalemate
Marc Mayo18 December 2023

Virgil van Dijk has insisted he has no problems with Roy Keane after being criticised by the pundit following Manchester United's draw at Liverpool.

It may have ended goalless on Sunday afternoon but, soon after the full-time whistle, both sides were quick to begin the point-scoring.

United legend Gary Neville slated the atmosphere at Anfield while Van Dijk echoed Jurgen Klopp's sentiment that Liverpool were the only team with any desire to attack, as the Dutch defender described United as "buzzing with a point".

That prompted Sky Sports analyst Keane to label Van Dijk as "arrogant" as he reminded the Reds that they had only won the Premier League once in 30 years.

But the Liverpool captain has poured cold water on the row by saying he is comfortable with being told off by the United hero, while disagreeing with his reaction.

"I like Roy Keane, if he said that then it's fine," Van Dijk said.

"He is Man United throughout and I understand he could react like that but I felt what I said and there is absolutely no arrogance in that.

"Everyone who watched the game probably felt the same. We move on. We had the opportunity and we couldn't score and that's the frustrating part."

Liverpool largely dominated and fired off 34 shots compared to United's six, yet lost their spot at the top of the table as a result of the 0-0 draw.

"Maybe (we were) trying to force it a little bit at times and we could have made a better decision but it was hard to break the low block down," added Van Dijk.

"You push, you push, you push and try to do everything in your power but it was one of those days we couldn't find the right decision to score a goal.

"At times - I won't say every time - we forced it too much to find a solution which wasn't there but that's football."

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