Virgil van Dijk eager to put nightmare few weeks behind Liverpool in Premier League title run-in | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool must put their nightmare week behind them, as they switch focus to a huge Merseyside derby after keeping their title hopes alive at Fulham.

Liverpool bounced back from their damaging 1-0 defeat by Crystal Palace and then their Europa League exit with a much-needed win here at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

The result moved them level on points with leaders Arsenal and showed they should not be written off in the title race.

Jurgen Klopp’s side face Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday and Van Dijk has warned they cannot afford any more slip-ups.

“It’s been a tough couple of weeks,” said the Liverpool captain. “We have five games left and have to try to win every one of them. Then we’ll see if it’s enough. We did our job, we won. Now it’s time to recover and be ready for the Merseyside derby, a big game.”

Klopp made some bold team selections, leaving Mo Salah, Alexis Mac Allister and Ibrahima Konate on the bench. But Liverpool got back on track to keep the pressure on Arsenal and Manchester City.

Van Dijk said: “At the end of the day, it’s about winning games. Today we were very good. Time to move on after a disappointing week.”

The defender added: “We shouldn’t look at anyone else; we should focus on ourselves. We’re focused on the next game, and that’s the only mood we have.

“We don’t have it in our hands, but we’ll go for it. We’ll give everything we have.

“We want to win it [the Merseyside Derby]. That’s the mindset we always have, and they will as well as they’re fighting relegation. It’s time to recover now and take responsibility in order to be ready for Wednesday.”