Virgil van Dijk asked if Liverpool are in Premier League title race after Brighton win

Virgil van Dijk is keeping his feet firmly on the ground as he sidestepped any premature title talk following Liverpool’s eye-catching start to the campaign.

The Merseyside team currently sit two points clear of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City after mounting an impressive comeback victory against Brighton last Saturday.

Arne Slot has set a new Reds’ benchmark with his tally of eight wins from his first 10 Premier League outings – the best start for a Liverpool manager in the club’s history.

It was Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah who struck the decisive goals to overturn Ferdi Kadoglu’s opener for the Seagulls.

Liverpool’s run under Slot has been notable, with only a single loss to Nottingham Forest and one draw away at Arsenal marring their record.

When reminded that a quarter of the season has already elapsed, suggesting Liverpool’s form is more than just a bright spell, Van Dijk responded firmly: “No, no, no. We don’t do that. One game at a time. A very good day but we want it to be a very good season so we have still a long way to go.”

He added to Sky Sports: “It’s too early to even make it [being top of the table] important. We want to be on top of the league, but we want to be there after the last match in May.

“The results have been good so far this season, but there is a long way to go. It is still a work in progress. We stay humble and keep fighting.”

Slot was similarly reluctant to discuss Liverpool’s title prospects after the Brighton win. Asked if he sees a big opportunity opening up after going top, Slot said: “No, not because of the fact that they [Arsenal and Manchester City] lost.

“But what I do like a lot is that last week, two times we came one goal behind against Arsenal, 1-0 and 2-1, and two times we were able to fight ourselves back into the game.

“And in this game we were 1-0 down at half-time, which I think we deserved, and then to come back so strong against such a quality team that has spent so much money in recent years as well, led by a few very good managers in the last few years, then to come back the way we did gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season.

But I also added after the game to the players that 45 minutes of the football we played in the first half will, in the end, punish you somewhere. So we need to show up from the start. The crowd was incredible the second half, our fans were incredible the second half.

“Our players [too] but our fans as well. It was the loudest crowd since I’ve been here. Let’s go now for Tuesday, where I think we need them again. To make sure we play like this from the start and the fans can help us from the start, because that definitely has influence on our players and in the end on our results.”