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Virgil van Dijk has claimed some of the recent criticism of Liverpool has been "ridiculous" as the Reds ended their losing streak.
Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Saturday in a mainly one-sided contest at Anfield. The Reds' midfield supremacy proved decisive, with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai putting in excellent displays, while Florian Wirtz was dropped to the bench.
It was Gravenberch who grabbed the game’s second goal after Mohamed Salah netted the opener in first-half injury-time, which was the Egyptian’s 250th strike for the club. Liverpool will hope its downturn in form is over following a run of four straight Premier League losses before the Villa game, and Van Dijk stated that the squad never lost its belief.
“Even in good times, you have to still keep going and don't take your foot off the gas,” the captain told TNT Sports.
“What I've noticed over the last few weeks is that there's a lot of noise that you have no control over, and we have to deal with that as a team.
"Some of the takes are ridiculous, but you deal with it. Outside noise can reach certain players, but we stick together.
“We are not going out on the pitch to lose games or leave fans disappointed. We want to work our socks off and win games. But it's not a guarantee. The Premier League is the highest level.
“Now it's time to start working, never get too high or too low. We live in a world where everyone can have their own opinions on so many platforms, and they know better.
“We have to stay away from that and focus on the hard work we are doing.
“Last season, we did some negative stuff, but everything was all sunshine and rainbows everywhere. Now it sounds like we're going to be in a relegation battle - that's how it works in the world.”
Liverpool’s victory over Villa means it moves up to third place in the table, although that could change if Sunderland or Manchester City win on Sunday.
After Arsenal beat Burnley 2-0 earlier on Saturday, the Reds still trail Mikel Arteta’s side by seven points.
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