Virgil van Dijk tells Liverpool to keep calm after spirited 1-0 win over Real Madrid
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Liverpool's Conor Bradley is outstanding in his one-on-one duels with Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr (right) during the Reds' 1-0 Champions League win at Anfield on Nov 4.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
LIVERPOOL – Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said the English champions must build from the back after producing their best performance of the season to beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the Champions League on Nov 4.
Before a 2-0 win over Aston Villa on Nov 1
Real arrived in Merseyside in free-scoring form, but were limited to very few opportunities as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois prevented an embarrassing score for the 15-time European champions.
“It is easy to say now because we won twice in a row. In a world of chaos, you have to stay calm and see perspective of things,” added van Dijk.
“We all know how football works – it can change overnight.”
It took the English champions an hour, but finally the giant Real No. 1 was beaten when Alexis Mac Allister powered in a header from Dominik Szoboszlai’s free kick.
“He is a fantastic ’keeper – we all know,” Mac Allister told Amazon Prime. “But today I think we were better and deserved to win.”
Arsenal lead Liverpool by seven points at the top of the English Premier League and have also won their opening four Champions League games, thanks to a run of eight consecutive clean sheets.
Liverpool face another huge test of their title defence on Nov 9 when van Dijk faces Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, who has struck 26 times this season for club and country.
“You can see at the moment Arsenal are flying, and it is down to clean sheets and not conceding chances,” added van Dijk.
“We have the quality to hurt anyone on the break – it starts with the defending. Today you saw the hard work.
“We have to keep going. Sunday is going to be another difficult one.”
Liverpool boss Arne Slot highlighted the importance of a return to Anfield for his side’s upturn in fortunes over the past week.
Of the Reds six defeats this season, only two have come at home, one of which was when Slot fielded a much-changed side against Crystal Palace in the League Cup on Oct 29.
“It helps if you can play in front of these fans and you can play in front of Real Madrid, because I think that brings the best out of my players and out of our fans,” said Slot.
“A great performance against a team that only lost once all season. It could have been a bit more maybe.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold was given a hostile reception on his return to Anfield as a late Real substitute.
The England international was once a hero of the Liverpool crowd after winning seven major trophies during his time with his hometown club.
A mural of Alexander-Arnold next to Anfield was vandalised in the hours before the game.
Conor Bradley has struggled to nail down his place as Alexander-Arnold’s successor at right-back in an inconsistent start to the season.
But the Northern Irishman was outstanding in locking down the threat of Vinicius Jr, while van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate kept the prolific Kylian Mbappe quiet.
“I said before the game that they have scored 26 goals in La Liga, and Mbappe and Vinicius together have 24 goal contributions (goals or assists),” added Slot.
“If you want to win this game, you have to make sure that these two are not on the scoresheet.
“Conor was outstanding. To be up against Vinicius so many times one against one is not for everyone. He did outstanding today.”
Real had previously lost just twice in 20 games since former Liverpool favourite Xabi Alonso took charge but relied on Courtois to avoid a similar scoreline to their most recent defeat – 5-2 at Atletico Madrid in September.
“Nothing to reproach the team for. It is only the league phase and we can recover these points,” said Alonso.
“We lost due to small details. We lacked threat in the final third.”
AFP, REUTERS
