Virgil van Dijk has stressed the importance of Liverpool looking at the “bigger picture” this season, rather than the end to their 2-2 draw at Everton.
The Reds threw away two points in the dying seconds on Wednesday night, with James Tarkowski’s equaliser a sickener for Arne Slot, his players and fans alike.
Arsenal‘s 2-0 victory at Leicester on Saturday has narrowed the gap at the top of the Premier League to four points, so there is pressure on Liverpool to win at home to Wolves on Sunday (2pm kick off).
Speaking in the new-look official matchday programme, Van Dijk discussed how vital it is for the Reds to bounce back after their midweek disappointment.
“We were also disappointed, of course, with the way the Everton game finished on Wednesday,” the captain admitted.
“To be so close to a big win, having worked so hard to put ourselves in that position, and then to concede such a late equaliser is obviously very frustrating and I think you could see that at full-time.
“We wanted the three points, so it was a tough one to take at the time.
“But now the dust has settled, we also need to look at the bigger picture. We are in a very good position and there are a lot of games to play in the upcoming weeks.
“There is no need for us to dwell too much on one result, we just have to keep going, keep showing the things we have shown so far this season and keep moving forwards.”
While the Everton game clearly hurt, Liverpool cannot feel sorry for themselves, instead producing a response this weekend.
A draw at Goodison Park was still no disaster, despite the nature of how the game panned out, and title destiny is still very much in the Reds’ hands.
Wolves will pose a threat – they won 2-0 at home to Aston Villa in their last league game – but Liverpool will rightly be firm favourites to go seven points ahead of Arsenal again.
Failure to do so would feel concerning, however, suggesting that Slot’s side have suffered a dent in their confidence.
With tough trips to Villa and Man City to come in the next week, it would be a bad time for it to happen.
You can buy the new-look LFC official matchday programme here.
