Use your head like Sadio and subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Virgil van Dijk has saluted the mental strength of Liverpool No 1 Alisson Becker.

The £75million centre-back was impressed by how the Brazil keeper put his blunder in Sunday's 3-1 win over Manchester United firmly behind him.

Alisson has been a massive hit at Anfield since his summer move from Roma – making key contributions in recent victories over Everton, Burnley and Napoli.

And Van Dijk revealed how he had a playful moan at the shot-stopper for costing Liverpool an 11th shutout in 17 Premier League games.

“I said to him ‘We have no clean sheet because of you! Why did you ruin the clean sheet?,” Van Dijk said.

“I made a joke out of it. He’s been fantastic for us. It happens, everyone makes mistakes.

“It’s about how we react and he did brilliantly in the second half. He didn’t get nervous.

“You see it a lot… maybe I didn’t react as well as maybe I could have. It happens sometimes. We had to all bounce back and we did.

“It was a very important to win. You could say it was just another game but it was a bit special because it was against them.

“It had been a long time since we beat them at home and it was well deserved.”

Van Dijk, who left Anfield on Sunday with David de Gea's shirt in a bag, insists no-one in Jurgen Klopp's squad is getting carried away with their record-breaking start.

(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

The Reds are a point clear of Manchester City and will secure top spot for Christmas if they win at Wolves on Friday night.

"We are in mid-December and the season is still too long," he added.

"We are very happy we’re in the position that we're in now but that can change in two or three weeks. We’ll try to keep on doing what we’re doing and stay confident.

"Wolves is another game we want to win. It’s going to be very tough there. They are in a great moment but so are we so we will have to prepare well and know their strengths and their weaknesses.”