Virgil van Dijk states that Liverpool manager Arne Slot has ‘every reason’ to be upset.

Virgil van Dijk stated that head coach Arne Slot has “every right” to express anger towards his Liverpool squad following their 2-1 defeat to relegation contenders Wolves on Tuesday evening.

Liverpool became the first team in Premier League history to allow five stoppage-time goals in a single season when Wolves midfielder André netted in the 94th minute at Molineux Stadium.

This goal concluded another disappointing display from Slot’s team, who had initially fallen behind due to a Rodrigo Gomes goal earlier in the match before Mohamed Salah equalised for Liverpool in the 83rd minute.

“Yeah he was angry,” Van Dijk remarked regarding Slot after the match.

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“Of course. He had every right because we played poorly. That was evident in the first half. In the second half, there was perhaps more urgency, but it still wasn’t sufficient.

“He had every right to be upset. We need to quickly shift our focus to [Wolves in the FA Cup] on Friday. That is our responsibility both physically and mentally.

“Based on our performance leading up to their first goal, we deserved to fall behind 1-0. We were very lackluster. Our play was too slow and predictable when in possession.”

Tuesday’s loss significantly impacts Liverpool’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League, with the team currently in fifth place and having played one more match than sixth-placed Chelsea.

“Either we secure [Champions League] qualification and earn it, or we miss out and do not deserve it,” Van Dijk commented.

“Four [wins in-a-row] was decent [prior to Wolves]. Four positive results in challenging matches. Given the season we are having, I don’t think there was much optimism in that regard.

“However, we managed to win, defend well, and score from set-pieces. Tonight we lost, and that is entirely on us. It is very disappointing.

“It is up to us to learn from this and make a turnaround, but it is difficult for us to accept and tough for our fans to endure. We must keep pushing forward.

“We return here on Friday, and we aim to progress in the FA Cup. Therefore, we need to show up on Friday with a completely different level of quality and performance on the pitch.”