Virgil van Dijk responds amid Anthony Gordon apology for Liverpool red card incident

Virgil van Dijk responds amid Anthony Gordon apology for Liverpool red card incident

Virgil van Dijk has reacted to Liverpool's 3-2 win against Newcastle United after he was involved in a first-half incident leading to Anthony Gordon's red card

Anthony Gordon and Virgil van Dijk (Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has issued a three-word message after the Reds scored a dramatic late winner to beat 10-man Newcastle United 3-2 at St James' Park on Monday.

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In a chaotic five-goal thriller on Tyneside, Arne Slot's side went 1-0 ahead in the 35th minute as Ryan Gravenberch fired home from the edge of the box. Newcastle's task of getting back into the game got a whole lot tougher when Anthony Gordon was sent off just before half-time for a late challenge on Van Dijk.

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The Reds capitalised on the man advantage and went 2-0 up less than a minute after the break as Hugo Ekitike swept home for his second Premier League goal in his first two matches.

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From that point, however, Newcastle were the better side. Eddie Howe's side pulled one back through Bruno Guimaraes before completing the comeback with William Osula equalising in the 88th minute.

But, as they did throughout last season, Liverpool found a way to win the game. 16-year-old sensation Rio Ngumoha came up with the decisive moment, as he got on the end of Mohamed Salah's square pass before guiding a clinical finish into the bottom corner, sparking wild scenes from the travelling faithful and the players.

It's a result that moves Liverpool up to third in the table, level on six points with second-place Tottenham and leaders Arsenal. After the game, Van Dijk reacted to his side's success.

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In an Instagram post, Van Dijk, alongside three images of him in action, said: "We are Liverpool!"

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Van Dijk's post came a matter of minutes after Gordon issued an honest assessment following his tackle on the Liverpool defender that led to him getting sent off before the half-time interval.

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"I want to sincerely apologise to my teammates and the fans," Gordon's statement began. "My intentions were pure. I was just trying to create energy in the game and I mistimed the tackle.

"I also want to apologise to Virgil, I would never intend to tackle somebody like this on purpose. We spoke after and he knows that. More importantly, I'm so proud of the time I spent on the pitch and how we played tonight.

"The atmosphere from you all is what makes SJP (St James' Park) so special. I love everything we stand for as a club and no more than right now. I'll be back and better, the same as every other setback I've ever faced. See you soon."

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Gordon lunged in late on Van Dijk and caught the Reds No.4 late on the back of the calf. Although referee Simon Hooper didn't give a red card until looking again at the pitch-side VAR monitor, Van Dijk was in no hesitation that he thought it was a sending off for the former Everton forward.

"I said to him ‘if this is not a sending off, I don’t understand football,' Van Dijk told Sky Sports after the game. "I think it was already strange the referee has to go to the monitor in my opinion. Unfortunately these things happen in football. If he meant it or not, it happened. We move on. That’s it."

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