Virgil van Dijk hits out at 'crazy' Liverpool VAR controversy vs Galatasaray
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Liverpool IconLiverpool FC NewsFeaturesVirgil Van DijkLiverpool lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in the Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday, and Virgil van Dijk and Arne Slot were not happy with the officiating during the gameVirgil van Dijk thought that Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty(Image: 2026 UEFA)Virgil van Dijk was critical of the officiating during Liverpool's Champions League defeat by Galatasaray on Tuesday.The Reds lost 1-0 in Istanbul for the second time this season, as a Mario Lemina header secured Galatasaray a one-goal lead heading into next week's last-16 second leg.It was a difficult night for Arne Slot's men, who had Giorgi Mamardashvili to thank for restricting the home side to a single goal.Both teams had a goal disallowed in the second half, with Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen having to cut his celebrations short due to an offside in the buildup. Liverpool, meanwhile, saw an equalizer from a corner chalked off after a VAR review showed that the ball had struck Ibrahima Konate's goal.READ MORE: 'Clueless' Arne Slot faces the music for ignoring Rio Ngumoha in Liverpool lossREAD MORE: UK media slam Liverpool's style of play after painful Galatasaray defeatVan Dijk, though, felt as though his team should have been awarded a penalty in the same move — irrespective of what happened with Konate.“I think I'm pulled back like crazy, and he's not giving a penalty for that and he's given a foul for every slight touch in the box the other way,” said Van Dijk of referee Jesus Gil Manzano, who was also criticized by Reds boss Slot after the match.“The matter of fact is it was disallowed, no penalty, fouls been given plenty of times, and that's something we have to deal with.”Reds boss Slot also had his say on the incident, expressing his surprise at his side not being awarded a penalty — particularly because of the harsher refereeing standards that are usually enforced in Europe.Arne Slot was also critical of the officiating(Image: 2026 UEFA)“In the Premier League there is much more allowed than in the Champions League,” Slot said.
“That’s why I was so surprised it wasn’t a penalty.“In all the other incidents where he thought he saw something when we made a foul and was so fast to blow his whistle and give Galatasaray a free-kick.“Then it was really really, really surprising the same referee in another incident when they make the foul says he is going to accept this completely. But if you look overall at the 90 minutes don’t think I can be surprise by that decision.“Every free-kick and corner kick we took, even if we just looked at a Galatasaray player the referee already gave a free-kick for Galatasaray.“If you then look at how much they pulled Virgil’s shirt before the ball hit Ibou’s arm, then it’s safe to say we weren’t the only ones impressed by the atmosphere here today.”Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FCVirgil Van Dijk