Arsenal blew the door wide open in the title race with a stunning defensive error that was attributed to VIRGIL VAN DIJK.
A lamentable misunderstanding between Liverpool captain Van Dijk and Arsenal goalkeeper Alisson was exploited by Gabriel Martinelli to propel the Gunners ahead 2-1 at the Emirates.
Alisson also made a mistake when Arsenal substitute Leandro Trossard converted the ball through his legs for the third time, resulting in Mikel Arteta’s squad falling two points behind Liverpool at the top of the table.
Champion organizations If Manchester City wins their two games in hand prior to Monday’s trip to Brentford, they will advance to the summit of the standings.
And following Sunday’s 3-1 loss, Van Dijk stated, “Today is a very difficult day. The goal scored by Martinelli is entirely my fault, as it marked a pivotal moment in the match and I ought to have performed more effectively.
“It was a close call, but I decided to allow the ball to bounce and attempt to insert my body in the way; Alisson made a slight contact with me, which prevented him from clearing it correctly.
“It is deeply painful, not only for myself but also for the rest of the crew. A significant juncture occurred.
“While such occurrences have been uncommon in my professional trajectory, I remain resilient and enable myself to recover by drawing lessons from setbacks.”
Just two league losses this season were incurred by Liverpool, who were reduced to ten men after Ibrahima Konate was dismissed in the 88th minute in a red card.
In regard to Van Dijk and Alisson, departing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp refrained from offering criticism.
“Our principals had a misunderstanding,” he explained. They are in fact human beings.”
Before Gabriel’s peculiar own goal on the mark of halftime, which was precipitated by an error by William Saliba, Liverpool equalized. Bukayo Saka had opened the scoring.
However, the Reds’ errors and the characterization of their defense by pundit Roy Keane as “pub team”-like put an end to their 21-match unblemished domestic streak.
“We would have loved to win here, but we were not good enough,” Klopp continued.
“However, as of today, there are no champions to celebrate or relegatees.” It is possible to determine our own destinies.
“I concluded without a second of consideration regarding the number of games remaining for City.” I have no anxiety. We anticipate that they will consistently emerge victorious in their contests.”
Arsenal have surged to second place with three consecutive Premier League victories, and Arteta praised his squad for a season-defining victory.
When asked whether they now possess the mindset necessary to win the championship, Arteta responded, “Unquestionably. We demonstrated this today against the most in-form European team.
“In order to improve one’s performance and mindset, it is necessary to engage in the activity every three days. That constitutes the difficulty at hand.
“It was a monumental game that would determine our current and future positions.”