Virgil van Dijk had no complaints after Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by title-holders Paris Saint-Germain in a defeat compounded by a serious injury to Hugo Ekitike.
Ousmane Dembele’s double sealed a 2-0 quarter-final second-leg win for PSG against an outclassed Liverpool on Tuesday.
Six-time European champions Liverpool were, however, still fortunate to be in the tie after escaping from last week’s first leg at the Parc des Princes with just a 2-0 defeat after entering what Reds manager Arne Slot labelled “survival mode”.
Premier League champions Liverpool were much improved compared to the first leg but that was scant consolation to club captain Van Dijk who, when suggested his side had at least given it a go on home soil, replied: “That’s the bare minimum, isn’t it?
“It’s disappointing to be knocked out but PSG deserved to go through.
“Knocking on the door is not enough. I’m disappointed that we were knocked out, but that is the reality. I think PSG deserved to go through based on the two games.”
Tuesday’s loss put paid to any lingering hopes Liverpool had of winning a trophy this season and also appeared to signal an abrupt end to Ekitike’s first season at Anfield.
The 23-year-old has scored 17 goals in 45 matches in all competitions since joining from Eintracht Frankfurt and was set to go to this summer’s World Cup with France.
But he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after going down awkwardly in the first half, with Slot saying the injury looked “really bad” and would be investigated further on Wednesday.
