Virgil van Dijk was taken aback to discover that his team boasts the Premier League’s top defensive record following their victory over Crystal Palace. The only goal of the match at Selhurst Park came from Diogo Jota in the first-half.
Only Nottingham Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi and Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri have managed to score against the Reds so far this season, although they have conceded goals in the Champions League and Carabao Cup. After their recent triumph, Van Dijk spoke with TNT Sports and was informed that Liverpool were not only top of the Premier League but have also kept the more clean sheets in the top-flight.After being informed of the stat, the Dutchman replied: “Is that right?” Following the international break, Liverpool are set for a challenging run of fixtures, kicking off with a home game against Chelsea on October 20.
Reacting to the victory at Selhurst Park, Van Dijk said: “It is hard to come here. The results over the years are tight and close. I think obviously we scored a fantastic goal. We could have done better in the second half, but we knew they’d come out with a bit of pressure on the ball.
“It ends our run on a high before the internationals. We keep going and we keep working. We are never satisfied. We needed [Alisson] twice, but that is what we try to avoid. Everyone is contributing to clean sheets.
“I think there is always expectations towards different teams – whatever the outside world thinks of us we don’t really care. We want to try to challenge, compete, win and be successful.”
