Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has insisted that he should be the one to blame for Gabriel Martinelli's comical goal in the Reds' 3-1 Premier League loss to Arsenal on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp's side now only have a two-point advantage over the Gunners at the top of the table owing to their defeat in North London, where they sought to replicate their FA Cup triumph from only a few weeks ago.
On that occasion, Arsenal dominated the contest only to be let down by poor finishing, but Mikel Arteta's men exorcised their profligacy demons on Sunday, as Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock in the first half after Alisson Becker denied Kai Havertz one-on-one.
Without Dominik Szoboszlai or Darwin Nunez - who was only fit enough for a place on the bench due to a foot injury - Liverpool were a shadow of their usual selves in attack and did not force David Raya into a single save in the first half.
However, Klopp's men were level in farcical circumstances, as William Saliba held off Luis Diaz and expected Raya to come and gather, but Diaz managed to get a toe to the ball, which deflected off of Gabriel Magalhaes's hand and into an empty net.
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Liverpool's undeserved gift gave Klopp's side the momentum at the start of their second period, but after Gabriel's howler, the Reds were then their own worst enemies in the defensive third, as Van Dijk and Alisson got in each other's way while trying to cut out a long pass, leaving the goal exposed for Martinelli to roll the ball into.
A red card to Ibrahima Konate in the dying embers virtually killed off Liverpool's hopes of a fightback, and the Reds were condemned to defeat in added time, as Leandro Trossard found a gap between Alisson's legs at his near post.
Speaking to Sky Sports News after the match - as quoted by liverpoolfc.com - Van Dijk shouldered the blame for Arsenal's second goal, which saw the Dutchman try to hold off Martinelli as Alisson charged out of his box, only for the Brazilian to jump over the ball.
"Eventually [it was] a very tough day, definitely. I think the 2-1 goal, I take full responsibility for that, but it's a big turning point in the game," the Dutchman said. "I should have done better, I should have made a better decision there.
"It hurts for me, and it hurts for the rest of the team. It was a big turning point in the game because I think especially after the break, we were so good. We had opportunities, we were dominant and I think the atmosphere started to become a little bit more nervous.
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"Arsenal is a very good team and they will always try to stay in the game, but we were very dominant, especially in the second half. And then came the turning point. It's my responsibility. I should just clear it, but I made the split-second wrong decision and unfortunately these things happen sometimes in football. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it hurts.
"These things haven't happened too many times in my career but it's a tough one. I will recover from this because I will learn from things that don't go well, but I will take the responsibility.
"I'm not looking for excuses. At the highest level, it's a split-second decision that you make. I chose to let the ball bounce and put my body in between. Alisson touched me a little and that's why he couldn't clear it. Things happen, and I take full responsibility for this. I will try to make sure these things don't happen."
Throughout the 90 minutes, Liverpool only mustered one shot on target for an Expected Goals total of 0.37; in contrast, Arsenal's 3.52 xG was the most that Liverpool have ever faced in a Premier League game since data became available.
The Reds return to Anfield to host relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday, by which time Manchester City could have also moved to within two points of the leaders with victory over Brentford on Monday.
Ben Knapton
