Defense Virgil Van Dijk He is excited that Liverpool’s new line forward has already given a glimpse of the future.
Cody Gakpothe club’s £37m signing in January and Darwin NuñezComing in the summer, both had previously scored twice in a 7-0 defeat to Manchester United. Mohammed Salah He could complete his record-breaking stunt.
Might be just one game but three Liverpool Players scoring at least two goals against United for the first time since 1908 was not the highlight of an outstanding night at Anfield.
While fellow striker Roberto Firmino announced his decision to leave in the summer when his contract expired, only Salah remained from the famous front line that had terrorized defenses across Europe for several seasons.
However, the restructuring has already begun with Nunez, who could break the club record with a £85m signing if all his add-ons are paid to Benfica, and he has taken over the left wing role that the now-departed Sadio Mane had previously held. This season he is the owner with 14 goals.
A United goal only for Liverpool, Gakpo has had less time to adapt but has now scored in three of his last four starts and looks ready to take Firmino’s central position.
“It’s very clinical. “I think most of these goals were top notch,” Van Dijk said.
“First, I think the whole build for him was phenomenal. Obviously (Gakpo) cuts off his right foot, a quality finish.
“Obviously coming to any club in the winter has been a difficult time for any player, but he’s adapting very well. It’s a very difficult position to play.
“Frankly, I think with Bobby Firmino he learns from one of the best every day. He needs to keep going, keep his confidence, keep his faith and hold on.
“I think he will be good for this club and I’ve mentioned that before but he’s a great player. Darwin causes constant chaos with his speed, passion and quality.”
The Egyptian international scored his 128th and 129th Premier League goals, beating Robbie Fowler to become the club’s competitive record-breaking player, while the duo almost stole Salah’s moment of limelight, though not exactly.
“Mo definitely showed why he’s so important to this football club,” said Van Dijk.
“(He) has been very instrumental in everything that’s been positive over the last few years and I hope he can continue that.
I think most of these goals were world class in my opinion
Virgil Van Dijk
“Being the all-time Premier League top scorer for Liverpool is something no one should take lightly.
“He certainly shouldn’t, and neither will I. Also, it shouldn’t be swept away because it’s something special.”
Liverpool are gaining momentum at a crucial time of the season with their fourth-place rivals Tottenham, current passengers and Newcastle having inconsistent results in recent weeks.
In contrast, Jurgen Klopp’s team has four wins and one of the last five draws, and when the Spurs kicked off home against Nottingham Woods on Saturday, Liverpool could already have passed them if they beat struggling Bournemouth in the lunch kick-off.
With two wins in March, as many wins as they’ve had in any other month of this campaign, their confidence is at their highest level all season.
However, Van Dijk said it was fun to beat their arch-rivals, but no one would focus on the result.
“We should not underestimate these results, but there are still more games to play to get what we want: in this case Champions League football and that’s what we focus on,” added the Dutch captain.
“We shouldn’t just dismiss it like it’s just another day. We won 7-0 in a tough season we had. You should be able to stand still and get some pleasure out of it.
“But the focus will change and it’s another week towards Bournemouth. I think our focus is always a game and that doesn’t change.”