Virgil van Dijk, the Liverpool defender, appeared in a press statement following the 1-0 victory over Sunderland in the 26th round of the English Premier League.

The Dutch defender said, "Your goal? I think the ball was in the net! A great win, the result of significant effort, on a challenging and intriguing pitch."

He added, "We will recover and prepare for the weekend match. The match conditions were tough, but coming here and playing at this level today was like earning three well-deserved points."

He added, "I think Sunderland have shown this season how difficult they are to beat, and they deserve all the credit - they are a hardworking team. It's good to come here, win, and keep a clean sheet. It was a good match for us."

He continued: "Ibo [Ibrahima Konate] was outstanding, and Maka [Alexis Mac Allister] in attack. Everyone gave their best. I am proud of the players because they worked hard."

Regarding the possibility of qualifying for the Champions League next season: "We cannot deny that it seems very important, but we still have 12 matches ahead of us. Therefore, we must continue to improve and strive for stability."

He concluded: "We must try to maintain our fitness and self-confidence and continue to improve. We will recover and play on Saturday against Brighton, a team that is difficult to beat."