Van Dijk urges Liverpool to find consistency in top-four push

Virgil van Dijk urged Liverpool to "keep improving and trying to find consistency" after they earned a much-needed win over Sunderland in the Premier League.

Liverpool earned a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light, with Van Dijk's 61st-minute header ending the hosts' unbeaten home streak in the top-flight.

The Reds dominated the game, having 23 shots worth 2.0 expected goals (xG), though they only got three of those attempts on target.

They got just their second victory of 2026, though, and they are now unbeaten in their last nine Premier League away matches against promoted sides (W7 D2), with their last defeat coming against Bournemouth in March 2023.

Van Dijk highlighted the importance of this victory on the back of their heartbreaking late loss to Manchester City last time out, as well as in the fight for a Champions League spot.

"A great win, hard work, on a very interesting, difficult pitch," Van Dijk told TNT Sports.

"Recover and go again on the weekend. It was quite a circumstance, but to come here and to play like we did today was a well-deserved three points.

"I think they showed this season how difficult it is to beat them, and a lot of credit to them - it is a hard-working team. It is good to come here and for us to win and keep the clean sheet. A good match for us.

"Ibo [Ibrahima Konate] was outstanding, Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] in front. Everyone was putting a shift in. Proud of the guys as they worked so hard.

"We can't deny that it feels very big [in the race for the top four], but there are still 12 games to go. So, we have to keep improving and trying to find consistency.

"We have to try to stay fit, stay confident and keep improving. Recover, and we play Saturday at 20:00 [GMT] against Brighton [in the FA Cup], which is a difficult team to beat."

Sunderland have lost their first home match across all competitions since May 2025 (0-1 v QPR), putting an end to a 14-match unbeaten run (W7 D7).

Liverpool's 23 shots were also the most the Black Cats have faced in a home league match since Chelsea had 24 back in November 2014.

At the other end, though Sunderland attempted to fight back after going behind, they managed just 11 shots, two of which were on target, as they struggled to truly test Alisson.

But Regis Le Bris remains confident his side will bounce back, despite winning just two of their last six league games.

"Obviously, they are a good team, and they played well," he told BBC MOTD. "We struggled a bit in the first half to find the right distance against smart, agile players comfortable on the ball.

"I think we wasted a bit of energy at that time. We tried to be competitive, but the second half was better. We were more located on the pitch, and we had our opportunities, but small margins define this kind of game.

"In the final third, they were good - the team spirit was excellent, once again. It is a question of details, but details make the difference.

"When you chase the game, it is not the easiest pitch because you have to be clean, recomposed with the ball and those small margins in the final third you can change the dynamic of the game.

"Now, we want to win points, and the motivation of the squad is excellent. We have to be resilient. It is part of our journey."