Virgil van Dijk appears to have called upon Liverpool team-mate Mo Salah to extend his stay at Anfield and declared ‘let’s keep going’ after the Egyptian scored his 21st goal of the season.
That strike saw Salah move ahead of Frank Lampard into sixth in the Premier League’s all-time goalscorer standings and Van Dijk wants the 32-year-old to continue to score more goals for the Reds. Salah’s double ensured that Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points after beating Bournemouth.
Both Salah and Van Dijk are set to see their contracts expire come the end of the season, in addition to Trent Alexander-Arnold, with no announcement on an extension appearing imminent. The Dutch defender heaped praise on Salah for his performance against the Cherries.
“Let’s make it more, let’s keep going,” said Van Dijk following the game. “He has obviously been amazing for the football club over all those years.
“I see the hard work he puts in, but the numbers speak for itself. It’s an outstanding performance, but he is a phenomenal player.”
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker was similarly full of praise for Salah. The Brazil international was keen to point out his team-mate’s application to the team away from finding goals however.
“He [Mo Salah] is quality, he knows how important he is for the team when he scores.,” said Alisson. “Defending is something he doesn’t like to do, but he does it for the team.”
Salah’s focus remains on Liverpool’s title ambitions rather than any personal accolades however. The Reds sit nine points clear of Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, with the Gunners to face Manchester City on Sunday, who are six points further behind.
The veteran winger, who has now surpassed 20 goals in each of the past five seasons, believes his side are heading in the right direction for success.
“We need to stay humble and take each game at a time,” he said. “It feels good scoring goals and the team winning. My main target is to win the Premier League with the team. We are going in the right direction.”
While Liverpool won by two goals, boss Arne Slot reckons Salah’s curling second strike proved to be the difference.
“Maybe that second goal was the difference between the two teams,” he said. “It was not an easy chance, and he puts it in the net, but it shows you how much quality he has.”
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