Van Dijk says Slot ‘had every right’ to be angry after Wolves defeat

• Liverpool concede fifth stoppage-time winner of season
• André’s 94th-minute strike seals 2-1 win for Wolves
• Van Dijk urges quick response ahead of FA Cup clash

Virgil van Dijk has said head coach Arne Slot had “every right” to be angry after Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday night.

Liverpool became the first side in Premier League history to concede five stoppage-time winners in a single season when Wolves midfielder Andre struck in the 94th minute at Molineux.

The late goal capped another disappointing display from Slot’s team, who had earlier fallen behind to a strike from Rodrigo Gomes before Mohamed Salah equalised in the 83rd minute.

“Yeah he was angry,” Van Dijk said of Slot. “Of course. He had every right because we played poorly. That was already the case in the first half. Second half maybe there was more urgency but it still wasn’t good enough.

“He had every right to be angry. We have to pretty quickly turn this into full focus on [Wolves in the FA Cup] Friday. That’s our responsibility physically and mentally.

“Based on our performance up until they scored their first goal, we deserved to go 1-0 behind. We were very poor. We were too slow and predictable in possession.”

The defeat dealt a blow to Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, leaving them fifth in the table, having played a game more than sixth-placed Chelsea.

“Either we get [Champions League] and we deserve it or we don’t get it and we don’t deserve it,” Van Dijk added.

“Four [wins in a row] was decent [before Wolves]. Four good results in difficult games. With the season that we’re having, I don’t think there was a lot of optimism in that sense.

“But we found a way to win, to defend well, and to score from set-pieces. Tonight we lost and that’s all down to ourselves. It’s very disappointing.

“It’s down to us to learn from it and turn it around but it’s tough for us to take and it’s tough for our fans to take. We have to keep going.

“We come back here on Friday and we want to go far in the FA Cup. So we have to turn up here on Friday with a totally different quality and different performance on the pitch.”