'They have no clue' - Virgil van Dijk makes Liverpool declaration as Kai Havertz exchange explained

Perception can sometimes be as important as points. And for some, the scrap of the psychological battle before and after Liverpool's tumultuous tussle with Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday was almost as keenly fought as the action on the pitch.

Certainly, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta unashamedly played the injury card repeatedly to help explain the failure of his side to post a significant early title statement by fully capitalising on an alarmingly under-par first-half performance from the Reds.

With Arsenal fans - if not those inside the stadium during the game - picking up the baton and running with a latest conspiracy theory against their team, it painted an image of the plucky underdogs having been thwarted.

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The truth, of course, isn't quite so colourful. And as the dust settles, the chief take for Liverpool from the game was a further example of the resilience and ability to tough it out that is fast becoming a trademark under Arne Slot.

After hard-fought wins at home to Chelsea last weekend and at RB Leipzig in the Champions League three days later, to twice come from behind at the Emirates continued an impressive return from an instructive run of seven games in 21 days that reached a mid-point in the League Cup at Brighton on Wednesday.

And while Virgil van Dijk - who swiftly equalised Bukayo Saka's opener before Mikel Merino's 43rd-minute header was cancelled out late on by Mohamed Salah - has dismissed suggestions the Arsenal clash would prove definitive in the title race, it did underline why Liverpool have no intention of easily surrendering their early-season momentum.

"It was a well deserved point in the end," says Van Dijk. "It was a tough game for both sides. In the second half we were the better team. In the first half we started well, we did a little bit better but then they scored to make it 2-1 and they got momentum.

"The people who spoke about if you lose here, you lose the league, they actually have no clue in my opinion. The season is so long and there are so many twists and turns that can happen and will happen. We focus on the game ahead of us.

"Over the years I've mentioned that the team who sets a very good foundation before December and goes through December in the best way possible with no injuries and good results will have a good chance to finish on top of the league."

That business-like approach extended to Van Dijk's dismissal of discussion over Arsenal's apparent injury crisis. "We can't keep speaking about their missing players and players coming out of the game," says the Liverpool skipper. "That's part of football. We also were missing certain players."

And there was similarly short shrift for an incident early in the match when he reacted to Kai Havertz in a fashion that prompted some Arsenal observers to call for a red card.

"It's a physical game," he says. "These things happen. If you watch the battles that we have during the games it goes both ways. That's part and parcel of the game."

While Sunday was the first time Liverpool have conceded two goals in a game under Slot, they still boast the stingiest defence in the Premier League having already negotiated two of their most traditionally difficult away assignments.

Key to that has been the reunion of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate at centre-back, the duo having started together in all bar two of the Reds' 13 games this season. Sunday saw Konate match his best-ever run of consecutive Premier League starts - eight - with the 25-year-old's consistent availability having benefited from a new fitness regime and a less physically-demanding role under Slot.

"He is making big progress," says Van Dijk. "He is a fantastic player, so consistent now as well. He is getting the credit I think he deserves now.

"He is still looking after himself in the best way possible. He is growing as a leader and he is a fantastic partner to have next to me."

Outside of Merseyside there has been a tendency to overlook the title credentials of Liverpool, with City and Arsenal - first and second in the last two seasons - expected to once again be main contenders for the crown. While City are now top by a point, Slot's side remain four points ahead of the third-placed Gunners.

Van Dijk, though, acknowledges the Reds remain very much a work in progress. "At the start of the season, when a new manager is coming in, nobody is really think about how good it can go," says the Holland international. "Obviously the results have been outstanding, but we just try to win the next game ahead of us.

"We are trying to improve and be the best version of ourselves as a team and individuals as well. The games we have played we have shown amazing football defending and attacking.

"But there have also been moments where we have to improve and we all realise that. That's the focus on a daily basis before the games that we play. There will be many things we can analyse after the Arsenal game, the good things and less good things.

"We got a point, now we go back and focus on Brighton as that will be a tough one on Saturday."