Michael Owen is put firmly in his place by Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk in a VERY awkward 'bitter taste' interview

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk fired backmost astatine Michael Owen aft their triumph implicit Everton on Wednesday night.

Diogo Jota's extremity was the quality astatine Anfield arsenic the Reds went 12 points wide of Arsenal astatine the apical of the Premier League contempt a nervy encounter.

Arne Slot's broadside are astir definite to triumph the apical flight, but their hopes of silverware elsewhere person disappeared successful caller months.

Liverpool were knocked retired of the FA Cup by Plymouth successful February, portion they endured a miserable week successful March that saw them clang retired of the Champions League astatine the hands of PSG earlier they mislaid the Carabao Cup last to Newcastle. 

The triumph against Everton came successful the Reds' archetypal crippled successful much than 2 weeks and Owen hinted that adjacent if they bash triumph the Premier League, determination volition beryllium a feeling of anti-climax travel the extremity of the season.  

‘It’s been a frustrating mates of weeks,’ Owen told Premier League Productions aft the Merseyside derby. 

‘Liverpool were poised to person a phenomenal season, if they triumph the Premier League it’ll inactive beryllium fantastic but with a small spot of a bitter sensation due to the fact that it was gathering into thing special.

‘I deliberation it deed Liverpool fans hard, and the manager and the players, to spell retired of competitions successful speedy succession.

‘The particulate volition settle, everyone volition realise if it’s the Premier League they triumph astatine the extremity of the play and lone the Premier League that’ll beryllium an unthinkable play and they would’ve snapped your manus disconnected for that astatine the commencement of the season.

‘But it doesn’t halt the feeling of the past fewer weeks and to get that winning feeling backmost volition beryllium truly important to everybody connected with the club.’

Van Dijk past joined the broadcast unrecorded from Anfield and Owen questioned him connected this view.

‘I’m conscionable reasoning successful presumption of the play truthful far, if you’d person said astatine the commencement of the play you were going to triumph the Premier League I’m definite radical would’ve been implicit the moon,' helium said.

'However, it was gathering into thing truly peculiar – however hard was it aft a mates of large defeats successful cupful competitions to get your caput turned backmost into the Premier League and to decorativeness the play well?’ 

Van Dijk took umbrage to this remark arsenic helium retorted: 'So you’re suggesting the play is not going to beryllium peculiar immoderate more?'

Owen added: ‘It volition be, absolutely, it volition beryllium special, but I thought it could’ve been gathering into thing precise special.’

Van Dijk past replied: ‘Well, I deliberation we person to alteration that communicative a small bit.

‘We’re warring for the biggest prize of the season, we worked truthful hard for it, 20 teams are moving truthful hard to beryllium connected apical of the Premier League.

‘We person 8 games to go, we cognize what’s astatine stake, we person to spell for it, we person to fight, we person to bask the full thrust and past let’s see. Like I said, it’s inactive looking precise peculiar successful my eyes.

‘I deliberation what you said, astatine the commencement of the season, I deliberation nary 1 expected america to adjacent effort to combat connected each 4 fronts, evidently we’re astatine the signifier present wherever we’re inactive warring for the biggest, and that’s the reality. It’s inactive a anticipation that this play volition beryllium very, precise special.’

Despite Van Dijk hitting backmost astatine Owen, the erstwhile Liverpool striker was near unmoved by his view. 

‘I basal by what I said,' helium added. 'If you had said astatine the commencement of the play that Liverpool would triumph the Premier league, it’s a very, precise apical season.

‘As Virgil said, not galore radical gave them a accidental really, particularly changing their manager aft truthful agelong with Jurgen Klopp being there.

‘However, it was gathering into thing incredibly peculiar and I conscionable wondered aft a mates of weeks of disappointment however hard was it to re-focus, but evidently helium gave america the answer.’

Slot's side, who person 8 league games left, instrumentality to enactment connected Sunday with a travel to Fulham arsenic they look to instrumentality a measurement person to winning their 2nd Premier League rubric - and archetypal since 2020.