Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk responds to critics after Aston Villa win

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has criticised naysayers after ending the reigning Premier League champions’ losing streak with a 2-0 home victory over Aston Villa on Saturday night.

Liverpool ended a four-game losing streak in the Premier League with a “not too convincing win” at Anfield, but the Dutch defender had a few words to say about how the team have had to “stick together” during their blip in the top flight.

Arne Slot’s side finally recorded a win in the English top flight, after recording six defeats in seven across all competitions, with goals from superstar Mohammed Salah and Ryan Gravenberch.

Getting back to winning ways on Saturday was very important for the Reds, as growing concerns mounted a lot of pressure on both the players and the manager, who won the Premier League in his first season, playing some beautiful football.

Asked about how difficult it has been as the leader of the group to maintain morale and focus during the difficult period, he stressed the difficulty in dealing with some of the “outside noise.”

Van Dijk told TNT Sports: “What I have noticed over the last couple of weeks especially is that there is a lot of noise that you have no control over and that we have to deal with as a team.

“Some of those takes are absolutely ridiculous. But you have to deal with that. It’s outside noise that can reach certain players, the group. It’s about sticking together.

The 34-year-old centre-back emphasised the team’s relentless effort to secure victories and how he and his teammates share the same disappointment felt by fans after every loss.

Van Dijk further pointed out that “there’s no guarantee” in winning games week-in-week-out, but the team needs to stay focused and continue to work hard.

“We’re not going out there on the pitch to lose games, we’re not going out there to be disappointed after games or leave fans disappointed going home, we want to work our socks off and win games. But there’s no guarantee.

“You play in the Premier League, the highest level, in the biggest league in the world, and it’s difficult to stay calm, but you have to do if you want to get back to where we want to be. That’s up there. But that’s something for later in the season to look at.

“Now it’s time to keep working, never get too high, never get too low.

“We live in a world now, for footballers at least, because that’s the only thing I can speak about, where everyone can have their opinion on so many platforms and everyone knows it better. We have to try to stay away from that and focus on the hard work we’ve been doing.

“Last season, we didn’t hear much negative stuff. Everything was sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounded like, by the outside world, we’re going to be in the relegation battle, so that’s how it works in the world.”