Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk appeared in press statements after the victory over Aston Villa 2-0 in the tenth round of the English Premier League.

The Dutch defender said: "Winning is always a great feeling, and keeping a clean sheet after a long time felt good too. But it's just one match, now we have to recover and focus on the next game."

He added: "We controlled the ball well and managed to find the free player. We knew they would press with attackers, so our number 6 player found space at certain moments when we moved the ball quickly. We made good runs behind the defense and created scoring opportunities, and we defended as a united team — and that made the difference today."

He emphasized: "Even in good times, we must continue and not take our foot off the gas. In recent weeks, I’ve noticed a lot of external noise that we cannot control, and we have to deal with it as a team. Some opinions are frankly ridiculous, but they exist. Sometimes this noise reaches some players, but we remain united. We do not enter matches to lose or to disappoint the fans; we work hard to win — but in the Premier League, nothing is guaranteed, it’s the top level."

He added: "Now is the time to work, we do not overjoy at winning nor collapse at losing. We live in a world where everyone can express their opinions on all platforms as if they know everything. We need to stay away from that and focus on the hard work we are doing."

He concluded: "Last season, when we performed poorly, everything seemed rosy from the outside. But now, some act as if we are in a relegation battle! That’s how things go in this world."