Van Dijk unfazed by jeering as Reds bury Saints

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp felt £75 million defender Virgil van Dijk coped admirably with the hostile reception on his return to Southampton.

Holland international Van Dijk, who arrived at Anfield last month having requested to leave Saints, was jeered from the first whistle to the last at St Mary’s as the Reds won 2-0 and climbed to third in the Premier League table.

Klopp revealed he spoke to the 26-year-old ahead of kickoff but had no doubts about playing him. “He did really well and dealt with the situation fantastically,” said Klopp.

“We had a little talk before the game, asking him what he thought – ‘No, I’m fine, boss’. I didn’t want to make him nervous if he wasn’t. Obviously he wasn’t. The crowd is there to make life difficult for the opponent, but it wasn’t too difficult for him.”

First-half strikes by Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah earned the victory, which put Liverpool two points behind second-placed Manchester United.

Steve Mounie’s double secured a 4-1 home win for Huddersfield Town against Bournemouth.

Alex Pritchard’s early opener for the Terriers was quickly cancelled out by Junior Stanislas, but Mounie restored the lead before half time, then headed his eighth goal of the season in the second period. Rajiv van La Parra rounded off Town’s win with a stoppage-time penalty.