Virgil van Dijk has insisted that Liverpool did not have one eye on PSG during the first half of its Premier League game with Southampton this weekend, with Harvey Elliott coming off the bench to make an impact once again.

Liverpool needed to come from behind against Ivan Juric's side but played substantially better to a man after the interval. Goals from Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah (two) sealed the points, while Elliott helped inject some fresh attacking impetus.

"I think it was a bit too slow, everything, we couldn’t get into the rhythm," Van Dijk told reporters post-match. "Obviously, they played a bit different to what they have been doing during their season.

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"So they waited for us to lose the ball and we weren’t as comfortable on the ball. We passed the ball a couple of times into open space and they made a good counter on us.

"I don’t think it was down to tactics or anything. It just wasn’t good enough first half. Luckily football is more than just 45 minutes and you could clearly see, the second half was outstanding, from the first second to the last."

Arne Slot admitted in his post-game press conference that he didn't "give the [players] compliments at half-time". But whatever he said paid off almost immediately.

"I think he wasn’t happy and he had every right to (not be)," Van Dijk told reporters as Slot walked behind him. "No one was really happy with the first-half performance.

"But like I said, we are all human beings and we had no intention to play the first half like we did. Unfortunately we did, but we turned it around. And that’s part of football."

Slot had strong words to say to his players having watched the first 45 minutes from the stands, serving the second game of his touchline ban for the aftermath of the Merseyside derby. And Van Dijk said that was the angriest that Slot has been since arriving at Anfield.

"If you look at the first half, he had every right to be angry," the defender insisted. "And I think from his point of view as well, it was even more frustrating to see. But we did what we all wanted in the second half and what he wanted as well and now we move on.

"No one wants to play the first half as we did but sometimes, as footballers and (because of) the opponent, you have a first half like we did today. It’s down to us as players to turn it around and I’m glad we did."

Slot made a triple half-time substitution, with Elliott, Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister all sent on. Within 10 minutes, Nunez had scored and won a penalty that Salah netted, and the game was successfully turned around.

"Very pleased for him," Van Dijk said of Elliott, who netted the winner against PSG a few days earlier too. "After the game in Paris, I said nice things about him.

"Everyone who is not playing or starting, it must be frustrating because everyone is working so hard. But we are at the decisive part of the season and everyone has to keep working.

"When your time is there, when your moment is there, you have to make the most out of it and show your qualities, and he obviously did that in the last game. Today he was solid in the second half as well.

"He has to keep going. There are only a couple of months left until the end of the season and we need everyone to be at their best."