Virgil van Dijk makes feelings clear on Curtis Jones fight as he slams Michael Oliver
Virgil van Dijk said that Curtis Jones stood up for what he thought was right by challenging Abdoulaye Doucoure after the Everton midfielder celebrated the Toffees' 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby in front of Liverpool's supporters.
Doucoure taunted Reds fans after the final whistle, prompting to Jones to spring over to the 32-year-old and shove him, sparking a mass melee which ultimately led to both Jones and Doucoure being sent off.
Van Dijk was asked about the incident and defended his teammate, telling TNT Sports: "You saw how they celebrated the ball, they had every right to. Doucoure wanted to provoke our fans at the end and Curtis didn't think that was the right thing to do. You know what happens when there was a tussle. The ref didn't have the game under control, I said it to him. Both teams had to deal with it. It is what it is. Take a point and move on."
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On the game itself, Van Dijk added: "It was intense, it was always going to be intense. A lot of battles, and I think obviously it's very disappointing to lose the win in the last seconds of the game. It is what it is, it's not easy to accept it, especially in this manner, but we take it, and we go on."
He added: "They do the same things that they always do, they're very direct, they fight for the first ball, second ball, and we all know that this is their cup final and they try to do everything in their power to try and win. Scoring at the end is obviously a big boost for them, but it's a blow for us."
Asked whether it felt like two points dropped in the title race, the Dutchman responded: "Yes and no, but I think because it was over extra-time... I think, the inevitable is coming but the referee had a big say in the game today, where he gave fouls for certain challenges and didn't for others. It's disappointing to concede at the last. A very good strike but disappointing."
