Virgil van Dijk refuses to copy Mohamed Salah after Liverpool declaration

Virgil van Dijk has refused to follow Mohamed Salah’s lead, insisting Liverpool still has a lot to prove before it can be considered a title challenger.

The Reds moved back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday as they made the most of the slip-ups from their biggest rivals. They came back from 1-0 down to beat Brighton 2-1 thanks to goals from Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, while Manchester City and Arsenal both fell to defeats at Bournemouth and Newcastle respectively.

The result gave Liverpool their 13th win in 15 games in all competitions under Arne Slot, marking what has been a brilliant start under the Dutchman. More importantly though, it saw them reclaim top spot, where they now sit two points ahead of City and seven ahead of Arsenal.

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With 10 league games having passed now, it does seem as though the Reds will, at the very least, have a role to play in this season’s title race. Posting on social media on Sunday though, Salah was very clear on his aspirations.

“Top of the table is where this club belongs,” Salah said. “Nothing less. All teams win matches but there’s only 1 champion in the end. That’s what we want. Thank you for your support last night. No matter what happens, I will never forget what scoring at Anfield feels like.”

Van Dijk though wasn’t prepared to go as far when speaking after the game. When it was pointed out to the Liverpool captain that a quarter of the season has now passed and that it is more than just a good start, he responded: “No, no, no. We don’t do that. One game at a time.

“A very good day but we want it to be a very good season so we have still a long way to go.”

Liverpool certainly finds itself in a good position, although its title credentials will continue to be tested over the coming weeks. The Reds face Aston Villa before the next international break, while City visits Anfield at the start of December, with tricky trips to Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham all coming before Christmas.

Liverpool.com says: Van Dijk knows the game as captain. He’s not going to risk saying anything that could come back to bite him later on in the season.

Salah’s message does appear to be a thinly-veiled message to Liverpool over his future, putting the pressure back on the club as his contract runs down. Hopefully they take notice and get that new contract sorted.