Former Manchester United captain Rooney branded Van Dijk as "lazy" for his role in Ousmane Dembele's early goal at Anfield. The strike leveled the aggregate scores and eventually led to a penalty shootout won by the visitors.
Van Dijk said, "Someone told me about this. I think at that particular moment I'm helping (Andy) Robertson, telling him to clear the outside, I take the inside.
"I'm even explaining now what I thought at that moment but if he thought it was lazy then he gave his opinion, that's it. Did you think it was lazy?
"I think I said it to someone as well, there were so many challenges for those players years ago and obviously it's a challenge for the players nowadays that you have to deal with opinions here and there and it gets blown up all the time.
"But looking at what I see in the dressing room, I think the boys are doing well in terms of keeping their heads down and focusing on the task ahead. That's the most important thing I want to see.
"If we get the reward for it at the end of the season then I’m sure Liverpool is going to be bouncing."