LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk openly recognized that his teammate Ibrahima Konate was lucky to avoid a second yellow card during the Merseyside derby against Everton.
In the intense encounter at Anfield, Konate managed to escape a second booking for a foul on Everton striker Beto, having already been cautioned for a similar offense.
Everton manager Sean Dyche was visibly upset by the referee’s decision, and Van Dijk conceded that Liverpool had a stroke of luck.
When asked about the incident, Van Dijk stated, “A bit of luck? Definitely. What can I say? He could have given it, he didn’t give it.
“A bit of luck for us. So what can I say? Nothing else. I think with tackles and stuff, that’s for the referees to judge.
READ ALSO: Hunt For Virgil van Dijk’s Replacement Should Start For Jurgen Klopp
“Especially the second I noticed that when there is a decision, we wanted to stay away from the referee and to make sure we don’t get yellow cards for shouting or saying ‘ref yellow for this.’
“That’s something we have influence on, and that’s something we should stay away from.We did that very well, especially given the circumstances.
“As I mentioned before, we were fortunate not to see Ibou receive a second yellow, and he knows it, but we move on.”
Despite Everton being reduced to 10 players after Ashley Young was sent off in the first half, Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory in the derby, with two late goals from Mohamed Salah, one from a penalty in the 75th minute and another deep into stoppage time.
Liverpool’s next match is on Thursday night when they resume their Europa League group stage against Toulouse at Anfield.
