Just hours ago, Arsenal and Liverpool played their third round of the FA Cup. In a surprising turn of events, the Gunners were defeated 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium by the Reds. But the spotlight has shifted away from the result towards Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, who missed the game because Jurgen Klopp claims the defender was ‘sick.’

Despite turning up to contribute to his side’s victory, the Dutch superstar was sent back by the team. But let’s hear his boss’s explanation for this. 

Jurgen Klopp sent Virgil van Dijk back home

Following the match, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was asked to justify the unavailability of main center-back Virgil van Dijk. Interestingly, the German boss replied, “Virgil is sick [Virus]. With him, he came in today and — for him, it’s difficult to look like sh**t, but he did. So we sent him home.” Either way, it is a hilarious yet honest confession from Klopp. The German boss had earlier revealed the defender’s absence before the match. Notably, 20-year-old defender Jarell Amorin Quansah replaced van Dijk and paired up with Ibrahima Konaté. Other academy stars, including Conor Bradley, Trey Nyoni, Kaide Gordon, and James McConnell, also traveled to London.

Luckily, despite van Dijk’s absence, the Reds were able to progress through the next stage of the competition. However, that win also came with a lot of hardships. Following a goalless first half, Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwor scored an own goal instead of making a clearance during the free kick. Luis Diaz added the second in injury time by firing in the top-right corner. Either way, it’s a crucial win for Klopp’s side, with Mikel Arteta’s side enduring an early exit from the FA Cup as they continue to endure poor domestic form.

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Trouble continues for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta 

Arsenal has secured only one victory in their latest seven matches across various competitions, intensifying the pressure on Arteta to address the team’s scoring issues. In these seven games, Arsenal managed to score only five goals, indicating a concerning pattern of falling short of their expected goal statistics.

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Additionally, they have only scored once in the last three games despite having 61 shots with an expected goal value of 6.47. Following the new year, they have slipped to 4th in the Premier League table. Indeed, these are some worrying numbers surrounding the Londoners’ domestic form. Let’s see how they navigate through these troubled waters.

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