Virgil van Dijk Defends Record-Breaking Mohamed Salah Following Liverpool Win

13 September 2020 11:45

Virgil van Dijk offered his backing to Mohamed Salah after his record-breaking hat-trick for Liverpool in their opening day 4-3 victory over Leeds.

Welcoming last season's Championship winners to Anfield, the Egyptian scored two decisive penalties, with a venomous strike sandwiched in between, to survive a spirited display from Marcelo Bielsa's men.

A back and forth encounter was decided in the 88th minute with Salah's second spot-kick of the match. in doing so, he surpassed a record previously held by Wayne Rooney. As per Opta, securing the three points meant that Liverpool have now won their last 35 Premier League matches in which the irrepressible forward has scored.

That remarkable run speaks volumes of the 28-year-old's importance to the Reds. However, his teammate Van Dijk spoke out against some in the media who suggested Salah had suffered a drop off in form.

"That's the media, that's you guys who doubt him," he told beIN Sports. "Obviously, we appreciate it and him, and that's the most important thing for him as well.

"We don't see the negative part of what the media says."

97 goals in 154 appearances across all competitions since moving to Anfield three years ago attest to the central defenders claims. However, he too came under the spotlight following the opening day victory, having failed to clear his lines properly for Leeds' second goal, finished by Patrick Bamford.

"It's one of those, I think. It's a situation that can happen," he added. "I try to do my best and that's what I did. Unfortunately, a goal came out of it, but I don't worry about that."

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Source: 90min