Following a late Forest victory, Virgil van Dijk praises the contributions of two Liverpool players

After Darwin Nunez and Alexis Mac Allister worked together to secure a thrilling victory at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk saved particular appreciation for the two players.

With the full-time whistle blowing and the scores tied at 0-0, it looked as though the Reds’ five-match winning streak was drawing to an end at the City Ground. But Nunez scored the game’s winning goal in the 99th minute to secure all three points and keep Liverpool atop the Premier League standings.

Van Dijk was questioned by reporters after the game about whether he ever believed that Liverpool wasn’t going to have a good day.

“No, no, no, the game was not over so I still had the belief,” he replied. “We’ve shown over the course of my time here that we never give up. We always keep going. We found a way and that’s the most important thing.”

Nunez was only just making his return from injury, and Van Dijk spoke of his admiration of the Uruguayan’s efforts so far this season.

“Darwin’s been so important for us this season and it’s great to have him back out there. It’s a big goal and a well deserved win in the end,” he added.

The winning goal was teed up by Alexis Mac Allister, who floated a delicate cross back into the Forest box after the hosts failed to clear a corner.

Regarding Mac Allister’s impact since signing from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer, Van Dijk said: “He’s an outstanding player both with and without the ball. He’s made such a big difference to the way we play in a positive sense. He has to keep doing that and stay fit.”

A.Liverpool travel to Sparta Prague in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday before welcoming Premier League title rivals Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday.