VIRGIL SLAMS KOP FLOPS AFTER CUP SHAMBLES

VIRGIL VAN DIJK never fails to front up.

- BY ANDY DUNN

Even after a game where his own performance has not been up to standard, he tells it like it is.The Liverpool defender (above) admits he has been saying the same thing - apologising for his side's below-par efforts - too many times this season.

But it felt a bit different in the immediate wake of the emphatic FA Cup loss to Manchester City.

The fact the side he captains played very well for more than half an hour but then capitulated made this loss even more painful.

He chooses his words carefully, which is why one comment sounded like an alarm bell.

Talking about the start of the second half, which Liverpool began two goals to the worse, Van Dijk said: "Obviously you come out of the dressing room with the right intentions to score and make it 2-1 and change the game.