Virgil van Dijk has revealed how the Liverpool team responded after suffering their first defeat of the season against Watford on Saturday.
The Reds had not lost in the Premier League for over a year, with talk of the team emulating Arsenal's 'Invincibles' of 2003/04 gathering pace as their flawless surge towards the league title got more ridiculous week by week.
However, Jürgen Klopp's side came unstuck at Vicarage Road, being comfortably beaten 3-0 by Nigel Pearson's men thanks to an Ismaïla Sarr brace and a Troy Deeney strike.
Speaking about the defeat to the Liverpool Echo, van Dijk said:
"We wanted to keep winning every game that was ahead of us. But we deserved to lose at the weekend.
"We all knew it. We all discussed it. We got over it easily, I think, because we spoke with each other and accepted we have to improve."
Liverpool slipped to their second defeat in four days on Tuesday, losing 2-0 in the FA Cup fifth round to Chelsea.
Klopp rotated his squad slightly for the trip to Stamford Bridge, with youngsters Curtis Jones and Neco Williams both getting the nod, alongside regular starters Van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Sadio Mané.
However, one player who did not feature in either loss to Chelsea or Watford was captain Jordan Henderson, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
The dynamic midfielder has been one of the Reds' standout performers this season, but Van Dijk says Henderson's absence is not an excuse for the successive defeats.
"He [Henderson] has been very good for us this season," the Dutchman added. "
"But we have quality players all over the pitch. Everyone who’s coming in, whether on the pitch or off it, has to contribute with being a leader.
"Obviously, we can’t deny that he’s been outstanding this year, that he’s been very important. But the reality is everyone else has to step up."
Source : 90min