ReactionVirgil van Dijk: We all worked hard for our clean sheet

The Reds returned to winning ways in the Premier League - following four defeats in a row - by beating Aston Villa 2-0 at Anfield.

As well as the important victory, Arne Slot’s side successfully shut out their opponents to end a run of 10 matches without registering a clean sheet.

Liverpool captain Van Dijk praised the team for the desire across the pitch to ensure those positive outcomes.

“The overall performance was very good,” he told beIN Sports. “We got two goals, we could have scored more.

“We kept a clean sheet - we worked hard for that as a team. It’s not only the goalie, it’s not only the last line, it’s everyone who has to contribute to that.

“I’ve mentioned it many times and I know in the world we live in, if we concede goals then obviously the last line or the goalie will be seen as responsible for that. But I’m glad everyone chipped in and got an important win.”

The result against Villa came as a welcome boost for the reigning champions, who had lost six of their previous seven games across all competitions.

Van Dijk reiterated the hard work simply has to continue, with fixtures against Real Madrid and Manchester City to come in the week ahead.

The No.4 said: “No-one wants to concede goals. It’s obviously the basis to win games if you don’t concede.

“It wasn’t good enough over the last weeks. But we don’t do it on purpose, we want to improve and that’s what we work on each and every day. We got a clean sheet and that’s good.”