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Alexis Mac Allister has shouldered the blame after Liverpool's Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace. The Argentine ace fluffed his lines during the penalty shootout, missing the Reds' second attempt as they succumbed 3-2 on penalties to the FA Cup winners at Wembley's season opener.
The 26-year-old midfielder is just back from an injury layoff that saw him miss the tail end of the previous campaign with an unspecified problem.
He rejoined the squad for full training on Liverpool's pre-season tour in Asia and marked his summer return with a start against Athletic Bilbao last week. Mac Allister entered the fray in the 71st minute at Wembley on Sunday when Arne Slot's men were 2-1 up, yet he couldn't stop Ismaila Sarr from notching an equaliser shortly after.
His subsequent penalty was thwarted by Dean Henderson, who guessed right and pushed the low shot away from goal. This came after Mohamed Salah had blazed his penalty over, and Harvey Elliott also had his effort saved, leading to Liverpool's defeat.
Post-match, Mac Allister took to Instagram to address the fans and own up to his part in the Community Shield setback.
"We are here to take responsibility, both in the good times and the bad," his post read. "Let's keep working and getting ready for the start of a new Premier League campaign.
"Thank you to those who came to Wembley to support the team - see you at Anfield on Friday".
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Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk reflected on the Wembley defeat via Instagram, admitting to a tough day at the office after the initial 2-2 stalemate with Palace.
The Dutch defender was culpable for conceding the penalty that allowed Jean-Philippe Mateta to notch Palace's first leveller, nullifying Hugo Ekitike's early strike, and he failed in his attempt to catch Sarr offside for the goal that pushed the match to penalties.
Van Dijk had been absent from Liverpool's last two pre-season matches against Athletic Bilbao due to illness, and he suggested on Instagram that he's still regaining his peak condition after the layoff.
"First of all, congratulations to Crystal Palace," he posted. "Tough to take for us and on a personal level, head down, work and improve!".
"It was good to get more minutes out there as I continue to work back to health and fitness. Time to focus on what's ahead now. I can't wait to be back at Anfield!".
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