Virgil van Dijk has heaped praise on in-form teammate Mohamed Salah after the Egyptian fired in another two goals for Liverpool this weekend against Tottenham. He is now up to 18 goals and 15 assists in 24 games in all competitions this season.

"The numbers speak for themselves," Van Dijk told reporters post-match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. "He is very special. He has done amazingly for the club and hopefully he can play his best season ever — stay important with his goals and assists and be clinical.

"We need always a complete performance from him. All the defensive work he can put in as well, it is very important for us as the last line and the goalkeeper. He has to keep going and I think he will. He is professional and he has been there."

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"Well, I don't know," Van Dijk responded when he was asked if Salah would be doing the same thing next season too. The pair's contracts, of course, are set to expire at the end of the current campaign as things stand.

Asked for an update on his own contract, Van Dijk replied: "No. There is no deadline. I'm focused on Leicester and going home as soon as I can to see my family for a nice couple of days. Then full focus on Leicester."

Liverpool moved four points clear at the top of the Premier League table by beating Spurs, scoring six times in a game for the first time under Arne Slot. But Van Dijk isn't 100 per cent happy yet.

"It was a very good game for 70 minutes; 20 minutes unfortunately not, but overall, a very good win," he said. "I don't think it was only counter-attacks; it was very well played, switching sides and finding spaces. I think we played a very good game for 70 minutes, we take the three points and we have a good Christmas."

"No," he replied when asked if he was surprised at all that Liverpool is doing so well. "We only had one addition to the squad in terms of Federico [Chiesa]. This squad of players has been playing together for a long time, and the experience and quality are there.

"It's obviously a big change with Jurgen [Klopp] being replaced by the new manager. There will always be question marks but I have so much trust in my team.

"We didn't concede goals against Real Madrid and Manchester City, which is good. But we conceded goals [against Spurs] that we shouldn't have conceded. We were far too open in times when we shouldn't have. When you are up by three or four goals, some sloppiness can kick in but today was all about the three points.

"Of course [previous experience is helpful]. We have been there and done it. We've lost twice on very small margins and the key is to take it game by game. Today is a big one, we won, and now we focus on Leicester. It's all about starting the recovery process and staying fit, consistent and in good shape physically and mentally."

Liverpool is the big favorite for the Premier League title at this point, even though the Reds have only won the league once in the last seven occasions in which they have topped the standings on Christmas Day. And Van Dijk isn't getting carried away.

"Being top of the league will obviously make Christmas nice for all the Reds around the world," he continued. "But we are going to [aim to] be there in May as well.

"It was a great game and a great result, but it was only three points. It's a great feeling to go into Christmas but for us personally, the focus will be on Leicester.

"The quadruple? I've given many answers already that we don't think about May. We want to be out there in May but we have seen how difficult it is. I'm not getting dragged into a conversation about winning a trophy or two or three or four. It's all about being there each and every game.

"We take it game by game. Every game is a difficult game. We see that through the season and I expect Thursday again to be a difficult game. We are in a good moment, but now it is time to recover from [Spurs]."