Virgil Van Dijk Pleased to Score a Brace in Liverpool’s Rout of Watford

Liverpool supporters have been wanting more Virgil Van Dijk goals so it was extra special when the centre-half bagged a brace against Watford at Anfield.

Jürgen Klopp’s side were dominant against the Hornets, leading 3-0 when Van Dijk scored his first of the night from a free kick by Trent Alexander-Arnold. His second goal arrived soon after, a header from an exceptional ball into the box from Andrew Robertson and the Reds walked out 5-0 victors, a familiar hiding for Watford by Liverpool.

“It was a great performance overall, we dominated and had a lot of great possession,” said Van Dijk.

“Especially in the first half, we played very well. They couldn’t really find a solution for our press. We scored some great goals and obviously it was very nice to be on the scoresheet.”

The win keeps Liverpool in first place in the Premier League, one point above Manchester City who have kept up the pace with their own three points against West Ham United.

“Everyone has their opinion on the race,” Van Dijk said.

“For us, it’s just a case of focusing on the game ahead of us and it was Watford. We prepared it very well, even if [the preparation] was very short.

“We were all ready for it and up for it – we wanted to show our fans and ourselves we play like this the whole season. We have to enjoy it. Now it’s time to recover and make sure we’re ready for the weekend.”

It’s the Merseyside derby on Sunday, another important three points. Time will tell if this Liverpool team has the mentality to see out this high-pressure title race but Van Dijk only has time for positive vibes and is solely focused on relishing the experience.

“I’m not worried about anything apart from what’s in the dressing room and the guys that have influence on our performance,” said Van Dijk. “Other than that, I’m just enjoying every bit of it.”