Liverpool
Van Dijk Rebukes Critics After Liverpool Recover With 2–0 Win
Van Dijk deflected critics after Liverpool’s 2–0 win over Aston Villa and called for calm focus.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk used a postmatch press conference to push back against mounting criticism after a nervy spell for the club. The Dutch defender, who spoke for two minutes and 10 seconds before adding “Sorry for the long answer.,” said the noise around the team had become distracting.
Five consecutive defeats to English opposition for the first time in 72 years had prompted alarm among fans, pundits and some players. A 2–0 victory at home to Aston Villa on Saturday night provided relief and left Van Dijk blunt about media reaction. “Even in good times, you have to still keep going and don’t take our foot off the gas,” the Dutch skipper told TNT Sports. “What I’ve noticed over the last few weeks is that there’s a lot of noise that you have no control over and we have to deal with that as a team. Some of the takes are ridiculous, but you deal with it.”
Van Dijk also acknowledged high-profile criticism can reach the squad, referencing comments such as Jamie Carragher’s warning that it was “crisis time.” “Outside noise can reach certain players,” he admitted, “but we stick together. We are not going out on the pitch to lose games or leave fans disappointed, we want to work our socks off and win games. But it’s not a guarantee, the Premier League is the highest level.
“Now it’s time to start working, never get too high or too low. We live in a world where everyone can have their own opinions on so many platforms and they know better. We have to stay away from that and focus on the hard work we are doing.
“Last season, we did some negative stuff but everything was all sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounds like we’re going to be in a relegation battle—that’s how it works in the world.”
The win moved Liverpool back up to third in the Premier League table. Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool in front at the end of a dominant first half and Ryan Gravenberch added a second in the 58th minute. Dominik Szoboszlai and Ibrahima Konaté both missed clear chances.
Manager Arne Slot urged caution despite the scoreline. “The margins are small every single game—today after five minutes they hit the post,” the Dutch boss fretted to Match of the Day. “We didn’t concede a set piece, which was helpful, but also we got a bit lucky which hasn’t happened recently. Our second goal was a deflection.” He added: “The good thing about being 1–0 or 2–0 up [is] you can control the game a bit better with more possession, but if you are down you have to chase the game and take risks and get counter-attacked.”
Liverpool
Salah admits Liverpool are below expectations after 2–0 win ends poor run
Salah admits Liverpool are below expectations as his 250th goal ends the club’s losing run. upcoming
Just 10 games into the new campaign, Liverpool find themselves short of the standards set for the club. The Reds had lost four times in the Premier League and suffered a further three defeats across cup competitions before Saturday.
Saturday’s 2–0 win over Aston Villa brought an end to a four-game losing streak in England’s top flight, with Salah on the scoresheet to record his 250th goal in a Liverpool shirt. The result offered a break in a difficult run and a platform as the club heads into an intense week of fixtures.
Asked after the game whether he was happy with his season, Salah simply replied: “No, but I know football. I have played football for many years.
“I said at the beginning it is a very tricky season for us, we have a few new players, very good signings, but they need time to adapt to the team and we lost a few good players as well.
“We just need time to adapt and know each other’s games and we will be fine.”
Salah acknowledged the period of inconsistency that has prevented Liverpool from building momentum. The victory over Aston Villa, and his milestone strike, were framed in that context as important steps rather than solutions.
“It was very important, we have had a few losses in the Premier League and the Champions League, but I am glad we started coming back now and it is a good result before some very important games against Madrid and City,” Salah reflected.
“It was a very important win for us today.”
The forward’s comments underline a view that adaptation and time are required after turnover in personnel. For now, Liverpool will hope the win and Salah’s 250th goal provide a foundation to regain consistency in both domestic and European competition.
Aston Villa
Salah’s 250th Liverpool Goal Secures 2-0 Win Over Aston Villa
Mohamed Salah reached 250 goals for Liverpool with his strike in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa. Proud.
Mohamed Salah reached a landmark 250 goals for Liverpool when he opened the scoring in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Aston Villa.
The goal arrived after a loose pass from Emiliano Martínez left the goalkeeper exposed. Salah reacted quickly to a sloppy ball and converted into an empty net. It was among the easiest goals of Salah’s career and took his overall tally for Liverpool to 250, a total matched only by Roger Hunt and Ian Rush in the club’s history.
“It’s a great feeling to score goals for such a big club, it’s something I don’t take for granted,” Salah reflected. “I’m so proud and happy about that achievement.”
Manager Arne Slot praised the milestone and the wider contribution Salah made in the match. “It’s huge,” Slot said of Salah’s latest achievement. “It is almost unbelievable if you score 250 goals, let alone 250 goals for one club. You don’t see that much in football any more.
“Apart from the goal he had a very good performance. When we had to play long, we mainly played to him and he held the ball and the team could come to him. What I liked was that he also helped the team defensively as well. After the first goal he was helping Virgil [van Dijk] around the halfway line. I liked his performance tonight. For him to score is not special but 250 is special.”
The milestone places Salah third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring list. The club’s leading scorers and their appearance totals are: Ian Rush 346 goals in 660 appearances; Roger Hunt 285 in 492; Mohamed Salah 250 in 415; Gordon Hodgson 241 in 377; Billy Liddell 228 in 534; Steven Gerrard 186 in 710; Robbie Fowler 183 in 369; Kenny Dalglish 172 in 515; Michael Owen 158 in 297; Harry Chambers 151 in 339.
Stats correct as of Nov. 1, 2025.
Liverpool
Slot: Liverpool Board See Same Problems as Manager Amid 72-Year Slump
Arne Slot says Liverpool board shares his view on the club’s 72-year slump and current problems. now
Arne Slot says club decision makers share his assessment of Liverpool’s damaging run of results. The manager, who had a seamless start last season, has watched that early momentum unravel and publicly voiced frustration about opposition styles, refereeing and the squad’s lack of depth.
Slot later stepped back from his comments on squad depth and refocused on recurring weaknesses: vulnerability to long balls, set pieces and a heavily altered starting XI. With speculation about his future circulating, he was asked how the board had reacted to what the club has called a 72-year slump. “They say similar things,” he insisted.
“I speak mainly to Richard [Hughes, sporting director] and once in a while to the others. They also see similar things as what I see. For me the conversations haven’t changed a lot. We always talk about the game and it’s always nicer to talk about the game if you have won than if you have lost.”
As Liverpool prepared to host an in-form Aston Villa on Saturday, Slot admitted the team showed frayed edges. “I can come up with five or six reasons why we are not winning as much or losing as much as we do but, as I say every time, there are never enough excuses to have a run of form as we had now,” he huffed.
“No matter if I could come up with 200 excuses, when you are Liverpool you cannot lose—for me—five out of six, but the reality is six out of seven.”
Slot did not give full weight to the recent defeat to Palace after a heavily changed lineup. The manager’s stance drew an uncomfortable comparison to Erik ten Hag’s refusal to accept a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the basis of a red card for Bruno Fernandes; Ten Hag was sacked three days after making that claim.
Ahead of the weekend fixtures, Opta data showed Liverpool had faced 19 ‘big chances’ from open play this season, a tally only newly promoted Burnley (21) exceeded, according to The Guardian. By comparison, Arsenal had faced two. Slot defended his approach: “I don’t see us conceding a lot of chances so I don’t see a reason to change our playing style completely,” he shrugged, “but we need to do better in not conceding goals.
“Against [Manchester] United, how many chances did we concede? Against [Eintracht] Frankfurt when we were 3–1 up, we hardly conceded a shot on target. In all the games we played until now we haven’t conceded a lot of chances. Not at all. We do give away a bit more than last season but that has to do with us being 1–0 down so you take a bit more risk. ]
