Virgil van Dijk: Momentum is a big thing – it's important we maintain ours
Virgil van Dijk has highlighted the importance of Liverpool continuing with the momentum gained from three victories in a row.
After away wins against LASK and Brentford, the Reds began a run of four Anfield fixtures by beating Villarreal on Tuesday.
Next up they host Brighton & Hove Albion in a 2pm GMT kick-off in the Premier League on Sunday.
"Momentum is a big thing in football, and it is important that we maintain ours," writes Liverpool captain Van Dijk in the matchday programme.
"After three wins in a row, there is definitely a good feeling within the group right now, but that will count for nothing unless we follow up with another strong performance. Brighton arrive here in great form and will provide a really good test for us.
"They have good players and have been performing at a very high level this season, so we will need to be at our very best if we want to come away with all three points.
"I think Tuesday night's Champions League win over Villarreal showed what I have been talking about pretty much all season: we are moving in the right direction, but we still have a long way to go, a lot of work to do.
"The first half, and the first half an hour in particular, was not the best – and I definitely include myself in that – and we found ourselves behind, deservedly so. But if that was the negative side, the positive was the way we responded, as a team, to that situation.
"We battled our way back into the game and our performance in the second half was much improved, and that was enough to win us the game in the end. I said before Villarreal that winning is a habit, and it is a habit that breeds confidence within a squad.
"I think you could see that on Tuesday. We knew the opening period wasn't good enough, but we reacted in exactly the right way, and the attitude we showed, the work we put in, was rewarded.
"There were some good individual performances – Rio [Ngumoha], Macca [Alexis Mac Allister], Flo [Wirtz] – but ultimately, it was a win that was built on teamwork and togetherness, and those are always very pleasing.
"Like I say, Brighton will be another big test for us, and hopefully this time we can start the game a lot better and show our quality from the first whistle.
"We love playing at Anfield, and we know that you guys will be right behind us, as you always are. Together, let's give it everything and look to keep building that momentum."
Get a copy of the matchday programme at Anfield or order online here
