Virgil van Dijk was never ready to accept that Liverpool would be held to a draw as his side prevailed late on against Nottingham Forest.
As the clock ticked over into stoppage time, it appeared the Reds were about to be held to a disappointing 0-0 stalemate at the City Ground, having been frustrated by the resolute Forest defence all afternoon.
However, in the 99th minute, Darwin Nunez leapt like a salmon to latch on to Alexis Mac Allister’s cross, directing his header into the bottom-left corner to give Liverpool a precious win.
A man who just last week also came up with the goods late on to deliver Liverpool a Carabao Cup title, Van Dijk has insisted that it isn’t in this team’s DNA to give up hope on a game.
“No, no, no, the game was not over so I still had the belief,” he said.
“We’ve shown over the course of my time here that we never give up. We always keep going. We found a way and that’s the most important thing.
“Darwin’s been so important for us this season and it’s great to have him back out there. It’s a big goal and a well deserved win in the end.”
The Reds skipper was also sure to sing the praises of the goal’s provider Mac Allister, who is quickly becoming one of the first names on the Liverpool team sheet.
“He’s an outstanding player both with and without the ball,” added Van Dijk. “He’s made such a big difference to the way we play in a positive sense. He has to keep doing that and stay fit.”
Liverpool’s next Premier League outing could prove decisive in the race for the title, taking on Manchester City at Anfield.
However, with a Europa League first leg away at Sparta Prague lying in wait before next Sunday, Van Dijk has emphasised that the Reds are continuing to take the season one game at a time.
On whether the Forest win will impact the title race, he said: “I don’t know, we’ll see. We will focus on Prague and then City.”
