ReactionVirgil van Dijk: A satisfying afternoon - and we have to keep moving
Virgil van Dijk was pleased to see Liverpool take another chance to impress as they defeated AFC Bournemouth 3-0 at Anfield.
The Reds followed up their Champions League success at San Siro in midweek by returning to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday.
A rapid double from Luis Diaz during the first half was added to by a sublime Darwin Nunez curler before the break, giving Arne Slot’s side a fourth victory out of five in the division this term.
Read Van Dijk’s immediate reaction in the tunnel at Anfield below…
On how much he enjoyed the afternoon…
A lot. Obviously coming off a good performance in Milan, it was important to keep going, don’t be satisfied and obviously in the first half three good goals. We could have scored more, in my opinion, maybe should have. But Bournemouth are still a very good team and they created some difficult moments and we had to fight. Overall, very happy with the clean sheet, 3-0 and now we focus on the Carabao Cup.
On Liverpool’s response to an early disallowed goal for Bournemouth…
I think a game is 95 minutes, something like that, or maybe 100 minutes in total. So there is plenty of time to come back from it if you have a setback. Obviously it was offside so we just kept playing and kept trying to do the same things that the plan was before the game. It was a good first half in terms of the goals we scored, I think we maybe could have controlled the game a little bit better. But we are satisfied, we take the three points, 3-0, a clean sheet and we move.
On the determination to bounce back strongly in the Premier League…
We spoke about it [the defeat by Nottingham Forest] the day after a lot and obviously in the build-up towards Milan. But after that, life goes on, we had another chance to win a game and that was the case obviously in the Champions League. And today was another opportunity and we grabbed it, so now we focus on the next one.
On Nunez being on the scoresheet on his first start of the season…
Obviously happy for him. He has to keep working, keep being important when he has the chance. Obviously he has a very good ‘opponent’ or ‘rival’ or however you want to call it in Diogo Jota with him, so they have to challenge each other and push each other. That’s the only way we can be successful. The way he responded today after his first start of the season is obviously the one we want to see. He has to keep working, like the rest of the team.
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Register nowLFC Foundation's 'Kip on the Kop' returns for 2025. LFC Foundation is once again challenging supporters to swap their bed for a sleeping bag for just one night to raise vital awareness and funds for thousands of people sleeping rough across the UK.
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Special offerLFC Retail launches exclusive in-store promotion . LFC Retail has launched a special in-store promotion, giving you the chance to grab official merchandise at unbeatable prices.
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FeatureWhen Liverpool and Everton contested the Floodlit Challenge Cup. The elegant item of silverware pictured below is a throwback to an era when Merseyside derbies were a much rarer occurrence and playing under lights was a novelty.
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LFC asks fans to work together to ensure safe arrival of team bus. Ahead of tonight’s Merseyside derby and as the team enters the final stages of the Premier League season, Liverpool FC would like to remind supporters that everyone’s safety is the number one priority on matchday.
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Programme notesArne Slot: The only thing that matters is the here and now. Arne Slot believes Liverpool must not dwell on what has gone before, or look ahead to what is to come, with tonight's Merseyside derby taking full focus.
