Reaction'A very good performance' - Virgil van Dijk reviews Marseille 0-3 Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk was satisfied with the strong collective performance that earned Liverpool a comprehensive 3-0 away win over Marseille.
The Reds are well placed to secure a top-eight finish in the league phase of the Champions League – and, therefore, automatic qualification for the Round of 16 – after Wednesday night’s victory at Orange Velodrome.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s clever free-kick in first-half stoppage time put Liverpool ahead, before an own goal by Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and a late Cody Gakpo strike sealed an impressive three points.
Arne Slot’s team now sit fourth in the table ahead of next week’s Anfield meeting with Qarabag on matchday eight.
Van Dijk told TNT Sports: “It’s always difficult, in my opinion, to play against [Roberto] De Zerbi teams because if you are not front-footed, if you are late in your press, they can play out pretty easy.
“Obviously they persist and keep on playing and taking those risks, so if you are winning those balls in between the lines then there is plenty of space in between the lines to exploit and I think we did that pretty well.
“But overall I think the performance was very good, something to build on. We will recover and go again.
“Everyone put a shift in. That’s how it should be, especially if you play for Liverpool, and also under the circumstances [as] it was a very good atmosphere. It is a stadium I had never played in before and I was really looking forward to it. A nice atmosphere.”
The Reds are now 13 games unbeaten across all competitions and Van Dijk was asked whether they can use the victory over De Zerbi’s side as a springboard for a winning run.
The captain replied: “I think we always keep saying that after a win or a good result. For us, it’s just about full focus on recovery right now and then we are going to go to Bournemouth, a very difficult team to beat.
“A 5.30pm kick-off, a team that plays very good football in my opinion, with a very good manager, so we have to be more than ready. But from right now it’s all focus on recovery.
“We fly back tomorrow and then we fly back already on Friday to Bournemouth – so, onto the next one.”