It seems the early Christmas spirit may have sent Liverpool into la-la land sooner than expected. After all, a disappointing yet enthralling four-goal draw was orchestrated by Arne Slot and Co. against Fulham at Anfield. However, the eye-catching moment of the game was Andy Robertson getting sent off just 17 minutes into the match. While ardent Reds fans must be furious about the incident, Virgil van Dijk is more concerned about why the referee ‘couldn’t properly communicate’ with Robertson.

Tony Harrington, by the way, is the protagonist that Liverpool may not be impressed with. The referee, who had been running with the 22 players on the field today, was apparently quite underconfident in the eyes of van Dijk. In the aftermath of the clash, the Dutch center-back expressed his concern, stating, “I had conversations with the players of Fulham and we felt like the referee was nervous.”

“He couldn’t properly communicate with Robertson, I felt,” added the defender, insisting on knowing how exactly Harington decided to give a straight red without providing the necessary resolution. Then again, the center-back isn’t ready to blame the referee for the Reds’ loss of two crucial points to extend their lead in the table.

“We can’t put the blame on the referee. We all speak about protecting the referee but I couldn’t speak to him. It shouldn’t be a big thing because he isn’t why we dropped points,” added the Netherlands international, before urging his side to prepare for the midweek EFL Cup quarterfinal clash vs. Southampton on Wednesday before playing Sunday’s must-watch clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

“It is what it is. We take the points, recover quickly, and be ready for the game on Wednesday,” concluded van Dijk while speaking to Sky Sports and as compiled by @DaveOCKOP on X. Clearly, the 33-year-old isn’t impressed but not completely devastated over the ref Tony Harrington’s lack of communication while sending off Robertson.

He seemingly acknowledged that his side lacked the necessary efforts to close the game on a good note. Then again, the biggest question that stands is whether Robertson had to get sent off for the challenge he made.

Despite the self-acceptance from Virgil van Dijk, did Andy Robertson really deserve to get red vs. Fulham?

As mentioned, the incident transpired just after Liverpool had conceded the first goal. Andreas Periera, who was left slightly unmarked by Andy Robertson, managed to score an acrobatic effort with a brilliant cross-playball from Antonee Robinson. Interestingly, a play saw Fulham make a decent long-ball pass for ex-Reds man Harry Wilson.

Though it seemed Robertson could intercept it and clear it safely, the Scottish left-back failed to get control of the ball, as Wilson was able to make a cutting run towards Alisson Becker. With no option left, the 30-year-old made a challenge on Wilson to stop Fulham from getting a potential double lead as his fellow Scotland mate went down.

Quickly blowing his whistle over the bowl, Tony Harrington had a little bit of unclear communication and quickly took out red from his pocket, leaving the whole of Anfield stunned by his decision. Of course, at one moment, the decision looked to be in a gray area as the official didn’t bother taking out his yellow.

Then again, Harrington must have been confident in his judgment as he decided to leave Liverpool one man down. The rest of the game was played with difficulty but Cody Gakpo was able to equalize, only to see Rodrigo Munez make it 1-2 for Fulham around the third quarter of the game. Just as everyone thought Liverpool was about to lose, Diogo Jota came to the rescue.

What are your thoughts on the red card incident involving Andy Robinson along with Virgil van Dijk’s accusation? Let us know in the comments.