- Harry Maguire fired the ball over the bar in the final seconds of the game.
- Van Dijk acknowledges that Liverpool got their way and is satisfied with the point
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said his team were lucky to emerge with a draw against Manchester United and insists it could have been much worse had Harry Maguire converted a last-minute opportunity.
English defender Maguire was left unmarked in the penalty area and was intercepted by teammate Joshua Zirkzee but, with the ball floating slightly on the grass, his shot went over the crossbar.
And Van Dijk believes Liverpool got their way and said he was satisfied with a point. “If we were absolutely honest with ourselves, it could have been a lot worse,” said the Reds defender.
“In the end they had a great chance that could have been a lot worse than where we are now. I'm definitely disappointed to lose points at home, but that's what it is and we have to move on and we will.
“We made it 2-1 and then it's about trying to manage the game and keep the ball for more than three or four passes.” At times we lost the ball too easily and then we were more open than we should have been. “We are not perfect, we are still learning and we have to learn from this too.”
Van Dijk dismissed rumors that Liverpool are taking United for granted and a journalist asked manager Arne Slot on Friday if he would “rest” the players for what looked like an easy game.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said his team were lucky to get a draw against Man United.
Harry Maguire fired the ball over the bar in the dying seconds of the match at Anfield
Van Dijk believes Liverpool got their way and is satisfied with a point from the match
The Dutch defender added: 'This is all the media. Media chatter. It has nothing to do with us. We are preparing for a very tough game like the one we saw today. We don't think about any of that.'
Slot agreed that Liverpool could have lost the game, saying: “People forget all the chances we had.” They had the open opportunity from Maguire. We had a lot more chances than them, but in the end we definitely could have missed it with Maguire's chance.
“We started very well, we had three clear opportunities in the game and then there was a period of time that was more difficult for us.” It's difficult if you play with quality players who play in a low block with only (Rasmus) Hojlund and (Amad) Diallo as attackers.
'It's not always easy to find the gaps and that's what happened. Then being 1-0 down makes it even more difficult… but I'm very happy with the mentality we showed afterwards, 2-1 up.'
