Van Dijk hails “great win” as Liverpool become first to beat Sunderland | OneFootball

Liverpool left Sunderland with three points, a clean sheet, and a rare feeling of control on the road, and Virgil van Dijk was clear afterwards that it was a night worth banking rather than over-celebrating.

The 33-year-old scored the only goal of the game with a second-half header from a Mo Salah corner, to seal a 1-0 Premier League win at the Stadium of Light.

It was also the first league defeat Sunderland had suffered at home this season, which underlined the difficulty of the job Arne Slot’s side went there to do.

“A great win,” Van Dijk told TNT Sports post-match. “Hard work on a very, very interesting, difficult pitch. [I’m] pleased with the three points. Recover and go again on the weekend.”

The performance backed up the mood, because we dominated large parts of the match and kept Sunderland largely at arm’s length, even as the hosts improved after the break.

“To come here, to play like we did today, [it’s] a well-deserved three points. A great game, so we’ll take it and move on.”

Van Dijk Sunderland verdict and why Liverpool’s clean sheet mattered

Van Dijk repeatedly came back to the clean sheet, and not as a cliché either, because it reflected the work across the pitch and not simply one last-ditch moment at the end.

“It’s good to come here and for us to win and keep the clean sheet. A good night for us.”

Joe Cole’s commentary praise for Florian Wirtz fitted the eye test as well, with the 22-year-old Germany playmaker again looking like the player most likely to unlock the game before Van Dijk’s set-piece breakthrough.

Van Dijk stats show he was decisive at both ends

(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Sofascore’s numbers painted a picture of a captain who dominated his box and then decided the match in theirs.

Van Dijk vs Sunderland

That blend is exactly what we needed, because our season has demanded resilience as much as quality, and Van Dijk’s set-piece threat remains a reliable route when games tighten up.

What Van Dijk said about Liverpool building from here

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Van Dijk did not dress it up as a turning point on its own, but he did frame it as a meaningful step in the right direction, with the run-in now staring us in the face.

“We can’t deny that it feels very big but there are still 12 games to go. We have to try to keep improving, try to find consistency.”

The table reflects why it matters, with Liverpool now on 42 points after 26 games, two behind fifth-placed Chelsea, and still with plenty to play for.

And with Brighton up next in the FA Cup at Anfield on Saturday night, Van Dijk’s message was simple.

“Now it’s just recover and we play on Saturday at eight o’clock again against Brighton, who are a very difficult team to beat.”

Our eyes will be fixed on success in three competitions and Ally McCoist is backing the Reds to go on and win at least one of them.

You can view Slot’s post-Sunderland press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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