Football

‘He is Walking’ – Man United Legend Wayne Rooney Blames ‘Lazy’ Liverpool Star for PSG’s UCL Round of 16 Win

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Sushan Chakraborty
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Sushan Chakraborty Sports Editor

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Published12 Mar 2025

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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has criticized Virgil van Dijk for his performance in Liverpool’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Round of 16.

Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat to PSG in the UCL Round of 16 second leg at Anfield on Tuesday night, 11 March. With the game level at 1-1 on aggregate, the game went to penalties. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was imperious in the shootout, denying Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones to send his team through to the quarter-finals (4-1 shootout win).

What Did Wayne Rooney Say About Liverpool Star Virgil van Dijk After UCL Loss to PSG?

Liverpool, who are comfortably leading the Premier League race, conceded just 12 minutes into the UCL Round of 16 second leg. Ousmane Dembele, who has outscored all of his peers across the top five European leagues in 2025, created the goal, sending the ball out wide to Bradley Barcola before rushing into the box and tapping in the return.

During half-time, Rooney discussed PSG’s leveller, blaming Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk for the goal.

“This goal from Liverpool’s point of view is wrong in so many different ways,” said Rooney on Sky Sports (via Football365).

“They are trying to press the ball and van Dijk gets lazy. If you keep your eyes on van Dijk here, he is walking. He leaves a massive gap for Dembele.”

He added:

“All he has to do is come across to Dembele because there is no other for Paris to get out but he doesn’t.

“Now Dembele has got a lot of space. And Konate again, he doesn’t switch on, Dembele makes a good run and it’s a tap-in.”

After switching off for PSG’s equalizer, Van Dijk did well to keep Dembele and Co. at bay for the rest of the night. Over the 120 minutes, the 33-year-old completed 68 es with 86% accuracy, played 24 es into the final third, won two tackles, and came out on top in all four ground duels.

Unfortunately for the Anfield faithful, Liverpool forwards had a rare off day. With them failing to find a way through in 120 minutes, PSG managed to hold their nerves and get the job done on penalties.