Virgil van Dijk has taken aim at referee Tony Harrington after Liverpool were held to a draw by Fulham on Saturday.
After Andreas Pereira fired the visitors into an early lead at Anfield, the Reds were dealt another blow when left-back Andy Robertson was sent off just 17 minutes in.
The Scotsman miscontrolled an interception and subsequently brought down an onrushing Harry Wilson on the edge of the penalty box.
Harrington appeared to hesitate initially as a lengthy VAR check ensued, before showing Robertson the red card and reducing the hosts to ten men for the remainder of the game.
Liverpool levelled through Cody Gakpo following the restart, but Marco Silva’s side again found their way in front thanks to a goal from substitute Rodrigo Muniz.
The hosts continued in their hunt for an equaliser into the closing stages and were rewarded for their efforts when Diogo Jota lashed his strike into the top corner to ensure his side did not leave Anfield empty handed.
Virgil van Dijk has claimed referee Tony Harrington appeared nervous in Liverpool’s draw with Fulham
Speaking following the game Van Dijk hailed his side’s resilience but insisted that both teams were in agreement regarding the referee’s performance.
‘A great comeback is very positive,’ Van Dijk said on Sky Sports ‘It’s disappointing having 10 men but we showed fight, kept trying to create chances. Could have been more but we take the point and move on.
‘Stay calm. It’s easier to say than do it. It was always going to be tough against them. We saw it last year and last week against Arsenal. We had to turn it around and keep fighting. We tried.
‘I had conversations with the players of Fulham and we felt like the referee was nervous. He couldn’t properly communicate with Robertson I felt.’
However, despite his comments, the Dutchman insisted that the official was not to blame for his side failing to secure all three points for just the third time this season.
He added: ‘We can’t put the blame on the referee. We all speak about protecting the referee but I couldn’t speak to him. It shouldn’t be a big thing because he isn’t why we dropped points.
‘It is what it is. We take the points, recover quickly and be ready for the game on Wednesday.’
The result sees Arne Slot’s side move to five points clear of their nearest rivals Chelsea in the title race.
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