Virgil Van Dijk pays Nottingham Forest a compliment after delivering Liverpool 'reality check'
Virgil Van Dijk admitted Nottingham Forest dished out a 'reality check' for Liverpool early into Arne Slot's tenure after Callum Hudson-Odoi inflicted a first defeat on the Dutchman since he replaced Jurgen Klopp as Anfield boss.
Substitute Hudson-Odoi struck shortly after being introduced in the second half to secure Forest's first win at Anfield since 1969 and ensure that the Reds' unbeaten run under Nuno at the beginning of this new campaign was extended to four games. Forest executed Nuno's game plan to perfection to secure a second straight away win and clean sheet.
Van Dijk, who had helped Liverpool to wins over Ipswich, Brentford and Manchester United without conceding a goal at the beginning of this season, was powerless to prevent Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga combining to great effect. He recognised that Forest did their jobs and administered a result which serves as a reminder it won't always be plain sailing.
"First of all it was a very disappointing day. The result and also most of the performance was too rushed and we lost too many second balls," he said, via Liverpool.com. "We know how direct they are so playing against a big striker you can sometimes lose a challenge and you have to be ready for the second ball and every time there was a second ball they were on the right side of it.
"They got momentum in terms of getting the winning the right challenges and they did they job very well and in terms of ourselves we weren't good enough. That's the disappointing point of it.
"Overall it was a disappointing afternoon, something we didn't want to happen but we have to turn this around and make this a sort of a reality check to be better for the rest of the season because if you want to achieve things this season the contrast between the games we played is too big."