After Jadon Sancho gave Manchester United an early lead, James Milner screamed in the face of Van Dijk and the two exchanged heated words. Liverpool went down 1-2 at Manchester United.
Liverpool went down against Manchester United 1-2. (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- James Milner screamed in the face of Virgil van Dijk after Sancho’s goal
- Manager Jurgen Klopp said there are no issues in the Liverpool camp
- Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said that the team is a close unit
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp shot down questions about issues in the squad after James Milner and Virgil van Dijk appeared to have a heated exchange during the Premier League match against Manchester United.
Liverpool went down 1-2 at Old Trafford on Monday after Manchester United dominated the proceedings. Jadon Sancho gave the hosts an early lead in the 16th minute and Marcus Rashford, who started upfront ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, doubled the lead in the 53rd minute. Mohammed Salah pulled one back with nine minutes remaining, but United held on to see their first win of the season.
After Sancho’s opener, Milner, who is considered as one of the team’s leaders, screamed in the face of Van Dijk and the two exchanged heated words. When asked about the issue, Klopp said: “I realise now I didn’t even see it but I think that’s about an argument about the pitch or whatever, but we were shouting at each other, these kind of things. I was a football player my whole life, that would be…We don’t have any kind of issues.
“Nobody’s happy after we lose a game. It’s completely normal. But, no, this is not an explanation, not an excuse or whatever. It’s all fine there on this department,” Klopp said.
Liverpool defender Andy Robertson added: “The team is tight, we are a close unit but things need to be said sometimes. Things will get better. But we are far behind where we want to be.”
The defeat at Manchester United means Liverpool remain winless in the season, having played two draws in their first two matches of the season. Liverpool were down to “14-15 senior players” for the game against Manchester United with several key players on the sideline. Defenders Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip, midfielders Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Curtis Jones, and forward Diogo Jota form the list of injuries.
The new sign-up Darwin Nunez, meanwhile, is serving a three-match suspension following a send off against Crystal Palace. Liverpool had no choice but to play with their fifth-choice forward Roberto Firmino, fourth-choice central defender Joe Gomez and midfielder James Milner.
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