Liverpool defender Joe Gomez explains what it's like to play alongside "big brother" Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez has hailed Virgil van Dijk as a "special player".
Jurgen Klopp's side extended their run of consecutive Premier League clean sheets to seven matches after Sunday's 2-0 triumph over Manchester United.
Gomez and Van Dijk have struck up a superb partnership at the heart of the backline since the England international returned to the starting XI.
And Gomez has praised the Netherlands international after his first-half goal set Liverpool on the path to victory over United.
“I’m buzzing for Virg. Everyone knows how happy I am when he scores and it’s nice for us to put work in in training on those set-pieces and then they come off,” he told Liverpool's official website ahead of Thursday's clash with Wolves.
“I don’t think it’s easy to measure what he does for us as a team. He’s such a dominant character, a dominant player. He’s a special player and we’re lucky to have him at the club - he’s my big brother! He’s a top player and a top person to be alongside.
“It’s been positive for me to get a nice run of games and I think the biggest thing is I’m trying to do my best to contribute to the team.
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“We know how important each game is and on a personal note and as a team, I think we just focus on the next game.
“No one’s getting ahead of themselves or thinking any further than the next game and that’s what’s most important about this team. We’ve got so many characters in the dressing room as well as the manager to keep it like that. It’s just about keeping our heads down, focusing and cracking on."
Liverpool required a late Mohamed Salah strike to seal all three points on Saturday, but Gomez believes his side were worthy winners.
“We would have liked to have had a bigger lead than 2-0 at the end of the game but the most important thing is that we put in a good performance as a team," he added.
“We saw it out, rode out the pressure at the end and Mo finished it off for us, so there are positives to take from the game and we know what this game means. Onto the next one.”
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).