Virgil van Dijk admits what Arsenal 'flying' right now is down to in Liverpool confession
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Liverpool Echo IconSportFootballVirgil van DijkLiverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been speaking about the Premier League title race after the Reds' 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday nightLiverpool captain Virgil van Dijk highlighted Arsenal's defensive record as the standard to match following their triumph against Real Madrid in the Champions League.Both the Reds and the Gunners were involved in Champions League fixtures on Tuesday evening, with Liverpool secured a 1-0 win over Real Madrid at AnfieldAlexis Mac Allister's second-half header was enough for Liverpool to clinch all three points against the La Liga giants. Arsenal beat Slavia Prague 3-0 in the Czech Republic, which was their eighth consecutive clean sheet across all competitions.READ MORE: Unseen Florian Wirtz and Xabi Alonso moment in Liverpool tunnel as true colours shownREAD MORE: Virgil van Dijk's final message to Wayne Rooney on air sums Liverpool star upArne Slot's side have now not conceded a goal in their least two matches as they prepare to face Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend.
Arsenal continue to hold a seven-point advantage over the Reds in the table, alongside a six-point cushion over second-placed Manchester City.Following Liverpool's victory against Real Madrid, Van Dijk outlined why he views Arsenal's defensive statistics as their target, confessing how the Liverpool changing room genuinely regards their title contenders.“That is the basis of success at the moment. I think that you can see that Arsenal are flying and that is down to clean sheets and not conceding chances," Van Dijk told Amazon Prime Sport.“I think that’s what we had as well and now what we are trying to do consistently - start with defending.
Against Villa we didn't create too many open [play] chances but we managed to find the win and we have to keep going.“Sunday [vs Manchester City] is going to be another difficult one and so we have to be ready for that as well.”The Premier League is set to conclude its final round of matches this weekend before players head off for November international duty.Liverpool face a crunch test against Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday, and cannot afford to slip further behind Arsenal – who go to Sunderland on Saturday – in the title race.For the latest news and breaking news, visit liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/liverpool-fc. Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.Follow us on Twitter @LivEchoLFC - the official Liverpool ECHO LFC Twitter account - for all the latest LFC news as it happens in real time.We're also on Facebook/LiverpoolEchoLFC - your must-see LFC news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.Listen to our podcasts by searching for 'Blood Red' wherever you get your podcasts.Sign up for one of the Liverpool Echo's free daily and weekly newsletters on Liverpool FC by clicking here.