Virgil van Dijk pinpoints issue with Liverpool performance in first half against Brighton

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted that Liverpool's pressing and composure when in possession fell below the expected standard during the first half of the Reds' win over Brighton.

The Merseysiders eventually saw out a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Seagulls after falling behind before the interval to a Ferdi Kadioglu opener. Rallying after the break, Arne Slot's men got their reward as Cody Gakpo equalized, with Mohamed Salah on hand to notch the winner just three minutes later.

Those quick-fire strikes proved enough to earn the home side all three points but skipper Van Dijk acknowledged that the victors have areas where they can improve after the win. The victory was Liverpool's second this week over Brighton, having defeated the South Coast outfit in the EFL Cup in midweek.

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Reflecting on this latest result, Van Dijk confessed that his team deserved to go in at half time a goal down after what was a listless display in the first 45 minutes. Giving credit to the visitors for their efforts, he told Sky Sports: "I think over the last couple of years we've never had an easy game against them.

"It's always tough and you could see it in the first half. We didn't press well and were sloppy in possession. It was a well deserved 1-0 at the break," the Dutch center-back continued, before praising his teammates for their second half response. "We had completely different energy after the break and got what we deserved I think."

With title challengers Manchester City and Arsenal both falling to defeat this weekend, the win took Liverpool back to the Premier League summit. An eighth top flight victory of campaign also extended Reds boss Slot's record-breaking start to life in the hotseat, with no manager in the club's history having performed better after ten league outings.

Despite overtaking rivals City at the top of the table, Van Dijk was resolute as he insisted he and his teammates are not getting too ahead of themselves at this stage of the campaign. The defender asserted: "It's too early to even make it important.

"We want to be on top of the league but we want to be there after the last match in May. The results have been good so far this season but there is a long way to go. It is still a work in progress. We stay humble and keep fighting."

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old also addressed the arm injury sustained by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate before half time, which led to the Frenchman being replaced by Joe Gomez. Giving his recollections of how his fellow center-back picked up the knock, he said: "So many bodies around the ball and I think I headed him on his arm.

"Hopefully it is not too bad. We just have to see. You can be quite okay as player with an arm injury so hopefully he will be fine."