Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham praised Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk after he put in a captain’s performance during the 1-0 victory against Chelsea.

The 32-year-old scored the winner near the end of extra time, and responding to van Dijk’s most recent post on Instagram, Bellingham commented:

“What a player.”

Liverpool teammates Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate echoed Bellingham’s sentiments and praised van Dijk for his dominant display.

Van Dijk felt like he had something to prove

The Dutchman clearly felt that he had been written off by pundits and others in the media following a difficult season last year. After the final whistle at Wembley on Sunday, a video of him was shared online saying:

“They thought I was finished.”

Very few Liverpool fans have ever thought that but the critics have seemingly fuelled van Dijk’s renaissance this campaign, going by his own comments.

Liverpool can’t rest on their laurels

If van Dijk and his team want to win more trophies this season, they cannot savour their Carabao Cup triumph for very long. The Reds face Southampton in the FA Cup on Wednesday night before taking on Nottingham Forest in the league a few days later.

Taking their eye off the ball now could prove fatal in their quest for more honours. Van Dijk is, of course, experienced enough to know that but a lot will depend on how some of the other players in the squad react.

With so many injuries, manager Jurgen Klopp will have to continue relying on youngsters for the time being. The likes of Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai look like they could be back to full fitness soon but others, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker, are quite some way off from making their comebacks. The same spirit that helped the team win the Carabao Cup final will need to be carried into other competitions if they are to maintain their good form over the next couple of weeks.