Virgil van Dijk points finger at Liverpool team-mates after woeful Man Utd defeat

A furious Virgil van Dijk pointed the finger at his Liverpool team-mates after the Reds were beaten at home by Manchester United. Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring for the visitors after just 61 seconds before Cody Gakpo equalised in the second half after hitting the post three times. It wasn't the end of the story, though, as Harry Maguire popped up with a late header to snatch victory for United.

The result marked Liverpool's fourth successive defeat in all competitions and Van Dijk was clearly unhappy after the final whistle. He suggested that it was too easy for United to score their second goal and accused his team-mates of being 'far too rushed'. The towering Dutchman also stressed the importance of sticking together and putting things right at the next opportunity.

"I think we conceded a very sloppy second goal," said Van Dijk. "We worked so hard to get back into the game and we created great opportunities to score the winner but if you concede a second goal like that, that is the disappointing part.

"If you look at the game as a whole, we were far too rushed. I think they were very patient they didn't press us high but they didn't let us on the ball. We still created many opportunities to score but the reality is that we lost.

"It is an interesting time because we have to stick together, not just us as players but as a club and the fans who want us to win."

There was a hint of controversy in the build-up to United's opening goal, with Alexis Mac Allister suffering a blow to the head while challenging for the ball. The game was allowed to continue and the Red Devils went on to play through and draw first blood.

"I think the ball went long, first header was a United player, second by me," reflected Van Dijk. "My elbow hit the player and he goes down and I went down. That angle it was difficult to score and he did.

"There was plenty of football left to be played [and score] and we didn't. We need to stay humble and stay working and keep our confidence as high as possible.

"When things get tough, it is important we keep the mentality of being there for each other. It is a long season."

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp also suggested that Liverpool lacked composure throughout the game, with the psychological struggles of being on a losing run seemingly taking a toll.

"So many chances, Cody Gakpo could have had three or four [goals], but Liverpool always had an air of desperation, there was no calmness in this game," said Redknapp.

"I never felt Liverpool had that calmness. Four losses is a blow and you wouldn't have seen that coming. All the new players looked like great signings but there's now more questions than answers."