Virgil van Dijk: 'Liverpool must be ready for Manchester City response'

Defender Virgil van Dijk has admitted that the manner of Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League was "massive", but says that his side are braced for a response in next week's second leg.

On Wednesday night, three first-half goals led to Liverpool registering a hugely-impressive win at Anfield to leave the club on the brink of securing a place in the last four in the competition.

However, Van Dijk has acknowledged that the Merseyside giants must be ready for what he suggests is an inevitable response from the Premier League leaders at the Etihad Stadium next Tuesday.

The 26-year-old told the club's official website: "It was massive to get three goals and a clean sheet to take with us to Manchester.

"The first half was good; there were a couple of things that could be better. In the second half we struggled a bit; we weren't calm enough and a bit sloppy. But it was very important to keep a clean sheet and we did.

"It's pretty clear it's still going to be very difficult, but we just need to be well prepared. They're going to come, we need to be ready for it and play our game."

Both teams face derby showdowns with Everton and Manchester United respectively on Saturday before preparing for the reverse fixture in Europe.