Reaction'Massive' - Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk on winning Merseyside derby
The former put the Reds ahead in their 248th meeting with Everton – the first to be played at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Beto equalised for the Blues during the second half but captain Van Dijk headed in a deciding goal 10 minutes into added time to grab all three points.
Read the goalscorers’ reaction to a dramatic afternoon, when speaking to Sky Sports post-match, below…
On how this winner compared to his debut goal for Liverpool against Everton…
Van Dijk: Nothing like that, the debut goal – I think that was the perfect night for me personally. But today it was massive in the situation we are in, in the hunt for the Champions League spots. Obviously that’s definitely not Liverpool-worthy, in my opinion, but it is the reality and it was important that we got the win here today. And I’m glad we did.
On Salah scoring in his last Merseyside derby appearance…
Salah: It feels great, to be fair. The most important thing was to help the team to just settle down and keep more confidence, because we knew before the game it was going to be tricky, it was going to be a difficult game. I’m glad in the end we managed to win the game.
On not having many matches left to play for the Reds…
Salah: No, but I wish I just keep scoring and help the team at least to achieve Champions League [qualification] this season. And hopefully I [say] farewell in the right way.
On this victory being a boost for securing Champions League qualification…
Van Dijk: One hundred per cent. We’ve got five more games left against teams that are also fighting for the Champions League spots. Every game is a big one. Like I said, we are very disappointed as a whole for the season that we’re having, because of the quality we have – it’s below standards. But we have to keep fighting, keep going and make the best out of this difficult, poor season that we’re having. That’s the reality. Onto the next. Today was a good three points and next up is Crystal Palace at home, [who] we couldn’t beat for many, many games so far.
On Salah…
Van Dijk: There will be a lot of words coming out of my mouth over the next couple of weeks on him. But listen, he is so important for us, on and off the pitch. I would say, the appreciation sometimes comes a little bit when players are gone, but we appreciate him so much. He is an outstanding teammate to have, obviously we have been through everything together; highs, lows. He will still be important for the last five games that we have to play and then it will be emotional for him and his family, for sure. But for us as well, because he meant a lot to me, a lot to the team and to the fans of course. But first, we have still a job to do and he knows it – that’s the main focus.
