Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has told his teammates to stay calm and keep building from the back after their 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Reds produced one of their best performances of the season, keeping a clean sheet against a dangerous Madrid side. The win followed their 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday — a turnaround after losing six of their previous seven matches.
“In a world of chaos, you have to stay calm and see things in perspective,” Van Dijk said after the game. “We all know how football works — it can change overnight.”
Arsenal currently lead Liverpool by seven points at the top of the Premier League and have kept eight straight clean sheets. Van Dijk said Liverpool should take a cue from that discipline.
“You can see Arsenal are flying, and it’s down to clean sheets and not conceding chances,” he added. “We have the quality to hurt any team, but it starts with defending. Today you saw the hard work.”
Liverpool’s next challenge comes on Sunday against Manchester City, where Van Dijk will face striker Erling Haaland, who has already scored 26 goals this season.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised the team’s improvement, saying returning to Anfield helped their confidence. “Playing in front of these fans brings out the best in us,” Slot said. “It was a great performance against a team that had only lost once all season.”
He also commended right-back Conor Bradley for his strong display against Vinicius Junior. “Conor was outstanding. To face Vinicius one-on-one that many times and come out on top is not easy,” Slot said.
