"We dominated" - Van Dijk on whether Liverpool should have beaten Manchester United by a bigger margin after 3-0 win
Liverpool Virgil van Dijk has said that his side dominated Manchester United in their 3-0 away win in the Premier League on Sunday. The Reds ran riot at Old Trafford, scoring thrice without response, to hand their arch-rivals their second defeat in three games this season.
Luis Diaz broke the deadlock just past the half-hour mark and added a second seven minutes later - both from Mohamed Salah assists - to put Arne Slot's side in the driver's seat.
There was more domination from the visitors after the break but had only Salah's 55th-minute effort to show for it. Nevertheless, that was more than enough to make it three wins in three for new boss Arne Slot, whose side move to second in the standings heading into the international break.
On being asked whether his side could have beaten Manchester United by a bigger margin, Van Dijk replied in the affirmative.
"It's a proud moment," he told Sky Sports (via BBC). "What pleased me the most was the performance from start to finish.
"We want to enjoy ourselves out there, and the only way to do that is with the hard work we put in. We dominated and should have scored more. Winning 3-0 is a big improvement from last year (drawing 2-2 at Old Trafford in April)."
Reflecting on his team's goals this season, the Dutchman threw down the gauntlet to Manchester City and Arsenal:
"We want to achieve greatness this season. I'm not competing in any competition just to compete. I want to win.
"We come up against a very good team in Man City and Arsenal. Our consistency is looking good; after the international break could be interesting when playing every three days. I'm certainly enjoying the ride."
The Reds return to action after the break by hosting Nottingham Forest in the league on September 14.
"A great result" - Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah after beating Manchester United
Liverpool hitman Mohamed Salah - much like his new boss Arne Slot - has had a superb start to the season, scoring in all three Premier League games. His latest effort at Old Trafford made him the first player to score in five straight away EPL games against Manchester United.
Admitting that it was a 'great' result, the 32-year-old harped on the importance of the 'derby' between English football's two most successful clubs. The Liverpool attacker told Sky Sports (via BBC):
“A great result. Everyone knows the derby is important for the fans and the city. We need to carry on, and if you want to fight for the league, you have to win each game.
"I managed to be involved in three, so I am happy about that. The manager likes us to press high, and there was a couple of mistakes, and we managed to use them - it was part of the plan."
Salah now has 10 goals at Manchester United, the joint-most against a single Premier League club away from home (also Alan Shearer against Leeds United at Elland Road).