Virgil van Dijk has revealed how he played through the pain barrier against Chelsea as the Liverpool defender set his sights on a “massive” double-header against Napoli and Manchester City.

The £75million centre-back had been a doubt for Saturday's trip to Stamford Bridge after being forced off with a rib injury against Southampton a week earlier.

However, Van Dijk declared himself fit for duty and delivered a top class performance as the Reds extended their impressive start to the Premier League season.

“My ribs are okay,” he told the ECHO.

“I took some painkillers, but not much, it was more about being strong and being a warrior.

“You never really play completely pain free. You are always going to have something - you are never going to be 100% totally fit throughout the season.

“It was about managing it and giving everything for the team and for the fans. I was desperate to be out there.

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“We did everything we could to get me out there and it worked out well. I'm really happy.

“In my position you need to jump a lot and be able to compete physically so you use your ribs quite a bit.

“During the PSG game I got a knock in the ribs and was struggling a bit. Then I got another knock in the same area against Southampton.

“I was like: 'Come on, I never get any knocks there and then I get two in four days!'

“Luckily, I was able to get back pretty quick. Now it's all good."

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Van Dijk, whose partnership with Joe Gomez is blossoming, believes Liverpool's performance against Chelsea was the perfect response to the midweek Carabao Cup defeat.

Eden Hazard fired the Londoners ahead but the Reds created some great chances and had two cleared off the line before Daniel Sturridge's late stunner salvaged a point.

“We definitely deserved it. We had a lot of opportunities, a lot of dangerous moments in the game,” Van Dijk added.

“They scored with their first real chance but we worked hard and showed great character to come back. We're very happy to still be unbeaten because we were up against a top team.

“It's all about staying calm. There was no panic when they scored because we knew we were playing well.

“At times they made it difficult for us but that's the quality of a good opponent. A point was the least we deserved.”

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The Netherlands international believes the fact that Jurgen Klopp is able to call upon a substitute of Sturridge's quality underlines the depth of the Liverpool squad.

“It was a special goal,” he admitted.

“I know what Studge is capable of. He's been in that kind of mood all season.

“He was a bit unlucky the other night in the cup game against Chelsea with a similar effort which hit the bar.

“I was really happy for him and it was an important goal for us. In big games you need everyone to step up and perform at their best and we did that. The manager has great options on the bench."

Did Saturday's enthralling contest prove that both Liverpool and Chelsea are genuine contenders to Manchester City's crown?

“Hopefully, but the season is long,” Van Dijk smiled.

“You don't want to look too far ahead. Chelsea showed that they are on outstanding team with a very good game plan and great players. But we are an outstanding team as well.”

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Van Dijk is now relishing the prospect of walking out at Stadio San Paolo to face Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Liverpool got off to a flyer in Group C with a thrilling 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain on matchday one and the commanding defender is braced for another big battle.

With Man City visiting Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday, it promises to be an intensive and energy-sapping week.

“They are both massive games,” Van Dijk added.

“Everyone has been talking about our fixtures. We've had so many big ones recently but that's what you want as a professional. You want to test yourself against the best.

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“We'll recover and rest and prepare for Napoli. It will be a really difficult game – a tough opponent, crazy fans, outstanding atmosphere.

“We need to show what we're capable of. It's going to be fantastic and I'm really looking forward to it.”