Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk insists they will “enjoy the ride” of challenging Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Pep Guardiola’s side briefly went top of the table for the first time since November with their lunchtime win over Everton before a 3-1 victory over Burnley restored the Reds’ two-point lead.
The game against the Clarets was not without its difficulties and a record crowd of 59,896 endured some testing moments before second-half goals from Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez eased the pressure.
View this post on InstagramVan Dijk accepts there will be a degree of nervousness attached to their bid to prevent City winning an unprecedented fourth title in a row just because of the sustained consistency of their rivals’ results come this time of year but he believes Liverpool, who are still fighting on four fronts, are well placed.
“I think everyone would love to be in this situation that you are on the top and fighting for the pinnacle which is winning the Premier League,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to stay calm. In the first half when Burnley became a couple of times dangerous you felt the crowd get a bit nervous but that is how a human being is.
“We need the fans, we need all the players, we need everyone to be ready in order to find a way to win the game.
“We will have setbacks, we will have moments of difficulty but we have to deal with that. Let’s just enjoy the ride.
“We are in a situation that I think last year around this time you would never, well maybe not never, have believed where we are today.
“We can only influence what we are doing. That’s the only thing.”
After suffering only their second defeat at Arsenal the previous weekend, Liverpool – missing goalkeeper Alisson Becker and Joe Gomez through illness, Ibrahima Konate through suspension and Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szobozslai through injury, a list which was added to by Trent Alexander-Arnold’s half-time withdrawal with a recurrence of a knee problem – struggled to find any rhythm.
Even when they took the lead on the half-hour mark when Diogo Jota nodded in from close range after Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford misjudged an Alexander-Arnold corner, they were still not in control and Dara O’Brien’s powerful header could have posed a problem but Diaz’s goal seven minutes after the break allowed them to settle more.
Alexander-Arnold’s replacement Harvey Elliott provided both the assists and, despite earlier in the season admitting he did not want to be a ‘super sub’, his contributions off the bench have arguably been more influential than his displays when starting.
“It’s very important for these guys that when they have their moments, Harvey in this case, they grab them with both hands. We need them,” added Van Dijk.
“Even if you start on the bench, you have to be ready to make an impact. This was a great example of that again.
“He (Elliott) would love to be playing week in, week out, but playing at the highest level you also have to be patient and don’t be frustrated that you don’t play as sometimes it is part of the business.”
A 17th defeat of the season left Burnley still seven points from safety but manager Vincent Kompany was remaining positive.
“There’s enough in our performances that can get us results and we aren’t debating the performances, it’s more just the moments and putting them together,” he said.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, if we perform, we can get the results.”
Deschamps warns 'it's not perfect' despite big France win
France coach Didier Deschamps knows there is still a long way to go for his side, as he conceded the atmosphere around the camp has not been the best.
Les Bleus hammered Israel 4-1 in the Nations League on Thursday, with Deschamps fielding a youthful side.
With Antoine Griezmann having retired and Kylian Mbappe out injured, Eduardo Camavinga, Christopher Nkunku, Mattéo Guendouzi and Bradley Barcola were on target in Budapest.
Mbappe's absence has caused a stir in the French press, with the 25-year-old having pulled out of contention for the national team despite returning to fitness to feature in Real Madrid's two matches before the international window.
Referring to that media frenzy, Deschamps said: "It's always good to win. The atmosphere around the squad is not exactly pleasant.
"It's not perfect, we're in a transition period but there are some good things, with players who have qualities and now need to confirm.
"This Nations League should help us with that. We failed against Italy [in a 3-1 defeat], but we played a very good match against Belgium [a 2-0 win]."
Camavinga turned in an impressive performance in the heart of France's midfield, though he was left frustrated with how many times he gave the ball away.
The 21-year-old lost possession nine times, which was fewer than four of his team-mates.
"I had a good performance. I can do better, I lost a lot of balls," he said.
"It's still a good performance. It bodes well for the future.
"To impose myself in the national team? Of course. It was everyone's goal to impose ourselves. We have to play good matches."
France face Belgium in their next Nations League encounter on Monday.
Failed England experiment does not change anything, says Carsley
Interim boss Lee Carsley insists the failure of his false-nine experiment in England's 2-1 Nations League defeat to Greece will not have any bearing on his future in the role.
Carsley missed the chance to become the first Three Lions boss to win his first three competitive games at the helm since Fabio Capello on Thursday, as Greece left Wembley with a stunning victory.
Vangelis Pavlidis scored twice – including a dramatic 94th-minute winner – as Greece went top of Nations League Group B2 with their first competitive victory over the Three Lions.
With captain Harry Kane sidelined by injury, England lined up with no recognised striker, with Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer interchanging in a fluid system.
England's 12 shots only added up to 0.86 expected goals (xG), with Bellingham's 87th-minute equaliser their only shot on target in the second half.
"We were second best for a lot of tonight, it is disappointing. You are going to get setbacks, and it's important that we respond," Carsley told ITV Sport after the defeat.
Only Anthony Gordon (five) managed more than four touches in the Greece area for England, with Bellingham, Foden and Palmer only recording one shot inside the box between them.
Carsley, who has been placed in interim charge through to the end of next month's final Nations League fixtures, is choosing to view the defeat as part of a learning curve.
"We tried something different and tried to overload the midfield. We tried it for 20 minutes, we experimented, and we're disappointed it didn't come off," he said.
"It's unrealistic to expect too much, and we will have to try again. All the goals were from mistakes, which is disappointing.
"It is definitely an option going forward. When you have someone of Kane's quality, though, it rules it out when he is available.
"But in the future, you have to have the courage and ability to try things. We tried something different. It doesn't change anything. My remit is to do the three camps."
Man Utd's Mazraoui sidelined after undergoing heart surgery
Manchester United full-back Noussair Mazraoui will be absent for several weeks after undergoing a minor heart procedure.
Mazraoui joined United from Bayern Munich in a deal worth an initial £12.8million (€15m) in August and has quickly established himself as the Red Devils' first-choice right-back.
He has started all seven of their Premier League games this season, with Erik ten Hag's men taking just eight points to record their worst-ever start to a campaign in the competition.
On Monday, he withdrew from Morocco's squad for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Central African Republic, having experienced heart palpitations.
Widespread reports on Thursday then said Mazraoui had successfully undergone a corrective procedure and would return within a few weeks.
Mazraoui was withdrawn at half-time in United's goalless draw with Aston Villa on Sunday, with Harry Maguire also replaced at the interval.
Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are long-term absentees, meanwhile, leaving Ten Hag's men short in defence ahead of their return to action against Brentford on October 19.
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