Virgil van Dijk will relish the satisfaction of entering the international break on a high note after Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Reds have concluded an intense stretch of seven matches in 22 days, sitting atop the Premier League while also enjoying winning starts in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
Diogo Jota’s goal in the ninth minute at Selhurst Park proved decisive, ensuring all three points for Arne Slot’s side.
Speaking to TNT immediately after the final whistle, Van Dijk said: “I think it’s always hard to come here. Obviously the results over the years have all been very tight and close.
“I think we scored a fantastic goal, in my opinion, well played obviously [with] Cody [Gakpo], Kostas [Tsimikas], [a] great finish from Diogo.
“I think we could have done maybe a little bit better. [In the] second half, we know they’re coming out with a little bit more pressure on the ball and I think we have to play a little bit more than we did.
“Overall, obviously we’ll take the three points and [we end an] intense run before the international break on a high.
“Now we go to the internationals.”
Liverpool displayed a strong defensive performance to secure their victory, especially after losing goalkeeper Alisson Becker to injury late in the second half.
The Reds now boast the best defensive record in the league after seven matches, having conceded only two goals.
“Obviously we keep going, we keep working and we’re never satisfied,” Virgil van Dijk continued.
“We always can improve.
“I think today we needed Ali twice, three times maybe, and that’s what we’re trying to avoid. But if we have to defend, we have to defend with everything that we’ve got.
“Everyone is contributing to clean sheets but I’m very happy with a clean sheet as well.”
He concluded: “Listen, I think there’s always expectations towards different teams.
“Whatever the outside world thinks of us, we don’t really care.
“We want to improve, we want to challenge, we want to compete until the final day and win and be successful. That’s what we’re focusing on – not what other expectations are.
“We’ve got a lot of points until now but we want to have a lot more.
“We know how tough the fixture list will be after the international break but why not enjoy it?
“I’m really looking forward to that and hopefully everyone involved with Liverpool as well.”
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