Virgil van Dijk slammed for role in Crystal Palace red card during Liverpool win
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 9 Dec 2023 19:19 GMT
- 3 min read
Former Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has blasted Virgil van Dijk for his role in striker Jordan Ayew being sent off in Crystal Palace's 2-1 defeat by Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.
Ayew was handed his first yellow card in the match by referee Andy Madley for preventing Van Dijk from taking a quick free-kick, having been stood less than ten yards away.
He was then given a second yellow card after a foul on youngster Harvey Elliott during a counterattack. The red card came at a time when Liverpool were trailing 1-0 behind, and the result of Crystal Palace being reduced to ten men saw the Reds come from behind to win the game.
What did Roy Hodgson say about Virgil van Dijk?
Hodgson could not hide his frustration after the game at Selhurst Park, taking aim at Van Dijk. He told reporters after the game: “Van Dijk took the opportunity to get him the first yellow card, which was very disappointing," the Palace boss told TNT Sports. "The second one I thought was a good challenge, even if it was deemed a foul, it wasn’t a yellow."
"I’ve been in football a long time, games like today make me realise when I come to leave it behind, I won’t be missing it. I’ve never had any doubts about the players, we are going through a bad spell but I’ve had no worries about the rest of the season," he said.
"Refereeing and the ref's incentives. I’m sick of the handball's interpretations, I’m sick of time-wasting and player behaviour. [On VAR] I’m not a great lover of it, it’s less bothering than handball decisions. What I really don’t understand is we’ve got a referee, who made his presence felt, he gives a clear penalty then decides to change and then no penalty for the second and decides to change it. Who is refereeing the game? I’m in a bad mood."
