Klopp: Van Dijk back to his best for season finale

JURGEN KLOPP hailed Virgil van Dijk’s outstanding performance, insisting his form augurs well for Liverpool’s pursuit of silverware. Liverpool were able to keep the pressure on Manchester City by chiselling out a 1-0 win — secured by a close-range strike from Fabinho late in the first half — in filthy conditions that boss Klopp described as ‘ridiculous’. It was not a day that saw his forwards shine but the same could not be said about Van Dijk, who ensured Liverpool never lost focus and whose authority will be needed for a sequence of big games, beginning on Wednesday against Inter Milan in the Champions League. Asked if Van Dijk was back to his best, Klopp said: ‘Definitely, you can see in all his movements. We were always convinced it would happen. No one knows the reason but he is completely back on track. ‘I would say that is good timing for the decisive part of the season which is coming up now. Long may it continue.’ Klopp was thrilled to see his team show a different side to their character. He expected Burnley to make nuisances of themselves but the wild nature of the afternoon meant there was never a point when Liverpool were totally in control. ‘I’m absolutely delighted with the way we played the circumstances, it was so tricky,’ said the German. ‘Only when you stood on the pitch could you feel the extent of the cold, on the pitch it was ridiculous. The boys stuck with it and over the years have learned to deal with the circumstances. ‘We asked ourselves to use it instead of suffering from it. It was a really difficult game, yes. ‘Burnley had their moments but it felt they had more moments than they actually had because of the late offside flag when Alisson made saves he didn’t need to. That is the way it is.’ Burnley are now seven points from safety and their wretched home form, combined with a lack of goals, means it is odds-on that they will be relegated. Despite that, manager Sean Dyche is not flustered about the situation facing his squad. ‘It’s irrelevant,’ he said of the gap between Burnley and an improving Newcastle side in 17th. ‘We have to keep building on what we do and have to add the details. Once again we’ve played a very good side, created chances and not taken them. That’s the next step. ‘It has to come and has to come quickly but, equally, there has to be something to build on and I believe there is.’