Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool are no longer a Jurgen Klopp team after securing their first win in the Uefa Champions League under new manager Arne Slot.
Goals from the Dutch centre-back, Ibrahim Konate and Dominik Szoboszlai saw the Reds come from behind to beat AC Milan 3-1 at the San Siro on Tuesday night.
Christian Pulisic gave the hosts an early lead when he fired past Alisson Becker just two minutes after the kickoff, but it was the Merseysiders who started their campaign with three points.
“Obviously I am very pleased with the win and I am pleased with the way we bounced back after a difficult start. Overall we put in a very good performance with and without the ball,” Van Dijk told Sky Italia.
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The 33-year-old and his defensive partner both scored with headers from set pieces as Liverpool exposed a clear weakness in Milan’s setup.
“When there is a set-piece we try to be important,” he said. “The delivery was outstanding in my opinion.
“Overall I am very pleased that we won and we limited them to only two big chances.”
Liverpool enjoyed immense success under previous boss Klopp, winning the Premier League and Champions League as well as a clutch of domestic cups under his leadership. But Van Dijk says the team are already changing under Slot as the new era gets underway.
“We have been very successful over the years and I am always grateful for that,” he said. “Things have moved on, the new manager is here and he has principles that are different.
“We are working on things and there are still things to improve.”
