Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk has denied Roy Keane’s claim he was being arrogant in his comments about Manchester United after their goalless draw.
After Sunday’s match at Anfield, Reds captain Van Dijk said “there was only one team trying to win the game”.
Former United midfielder Keane, working as a Sky Sports pundit, said there was “arrogance coming out of him [Van Dijk], dissing United like that”.
“I like Roy Keane, if he said that then it’s fine,” said Van Dijk.
“He is Manchester United throughout and I understand he could react like that but I felt what I said and there is absolutely no arrogance in that.
“Everyone who watched the game probably felt the same. We move on. We had the opportunity and we couldn’t score and that’s the frustrating part.”
Liverpool had 69% possession and attempted 34 shots without managing to score against a United side that adopted a defensive approach to the game.
It was the first home game Liverpool had failed to win this season and meant the Merseysiders dropped a point and a place behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, who beat Brighton, after 17 games.
“Maybe [we were] trying to force it a little bit at times and we could have made a better decision but it was hard to break the low block down,” added Netherlands international Van Dijk.
“You push, you push, you push and try to do everything in your power but it was one of those days we couldn’t find the right decision to score a goal.
“At times – I won’t say every time – we forced it too much to find a solution which wasn’t there but that’s football.”