Virgil van Dijk has urged his Liverpool teammates not to lose confidence after a disappointing 0-0 draw with Leeds United saw them miss the chance to strengthen their Champions League qualification hopes.
The Premier League champions were shut down by Daniel Farke’s side at Anfield on New Year’s Day in a game that saw Arne Slot’s men create little against a well-drilled opposition.
The result extends Liverpool’s unbeaten run to eight in all competitions, but the chance to move five points clear of Chelsea in fifth and to within four of third-placed Aston Villa was spurned on a dour evening of Premier League action, where three of the four fixtures ended 0-0.
Van Dijk, though, says there is no reason why the result should see confidence take a hit inside the dressing room as they travel to Fulham on Sunday before another London assignment at leaders Arsenal next week.
“If I think about the game right now, I think we were not good enough in the last part of our game and didn’t create enough chance to win the game,” Van Dijk said.
“So yes, that’s frustrating. But we can speak, we can be frustrated, we can do all of this stuff, but in two days we travel to London, and we have a tough game on Sunday again. So we have to recover and analyse within the camp and then be ready for a tough game over there.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to not have confidence playing for Liverpool. You have an opportunity every three or four days. So you have to go out with confidence and trust in your teammates to compete on the absolute highest level. I have that. So keep going.
“We take the point, and we move on. There’s no point in thinking about if it feels like a defeat. The fact is we take a point. We should have done better in the last part of our game. That’s how I feel right now; maybe I’m wrong, but everyone will have their opinion.
“And now it’s just on us to recover and show a better last part of our game performance over in London. What will be a very difficult game. That’s what we have been seeing for so many years there as well.”
Van Dijk also admitted he felt a sense of anxiety in the Anfield stands on the night as the team struggled to put Leeds under any sustained pressure in a game that saw them create few genuine chances other than Hugo Ekitike’s first-half header.
The Reds captain added, “I sensed that [fans’ feeling] as well. It’s very easy to say [we should move the ball quicker] when you play against a team that will play with 5-4-1 or 5-3-2.
“Sometimes you have to drag them to one side and then obviously speed up. But like I said, the last part of our game tonight wasn’t good enough. I think against Wolves in the first half we showed very much how good we can be, but today it wasn’t meant to be.
“But obviously at times when teams are sitting in, you have to be patient. And I know it’s not the nicest thing to see, but we can also sit back and try to play on the counter constantly, but that’s obviously not who we are either.
“I sensed the frustration as well, but also I think that frustration comes from the fact that we dropped points, and that’s obviously something that we didn’t want.
“This is definitely not an attack on the fans. The fans can feel how they feel, but we as players want to win games as well. We’re not going out there and trying to pass the ball from left to right and just keep the ball.
“We want to do everything in our power to win the game as well. And like you said, I’ve been very fortunate to experience so many nights, so many afternoons or early kick-offs where the fans gave us an extra lift, and obviously when you drop points against Leeds like we did today, that obviously is frustrating.
“But we need the fans in order to keep pushing us forward like we always have been. And I don’t have any doubts that that will be the case. We’ll see them again in London with full support.
“Have you seen the league? How difficult it is at the moment? It is an opportunity, obviously, to win every game ahead of you, and that’s what we want; that’s what we fight for.
“But the season is still so long. Obviously it’s the start of 2026. We wanted to start with a win. Unfortunately we didn’t, but there are so many twists and turns still to come. And like you said already, I’m not looking at the league table because there’s no point.
“And that’s never been the case, even when we are top of the league. So we just have to keep going and try to be better, try to be improving and consistent, and obviously onto the next. There are a lot of games in January to be played.
“So momentum can shift, confidence can go up and down, but we all have to keep going and keep consistent and keep the confidence because that’s the basis in order to try and get results.”
