Liverpool news: Virgil van Dijk on 'biggest challenge' in Premier League title race as Arsenal beat Newcastle United

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has called for fans and teammates to remain calm following his side's 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace on Staurday.

The Reds suffered their first loss of the 2025-26 campaign thanks to Eddie Nketiah's 97th-minute winner, though they are still at the top of the Premier League table.

Boss Arne Slot will have been concerned by the performances of his players, and it will have been frustrating to see Arsenal fully capitalise on their defeat, with the Londoners winning 2-1 against Newcastle United on Sunday.

With the Reds still leading in the Premier League title race, Van Dijk urged everyone involved with the club to stay calm, telling reporters after the Palace defeat: "The biggest challenge now is to stay calm. I have mentioned it many times: never get too high or too low.

"We are disappointed in our performance. Disappointed in the loss, but especially the way we went about it. I think if we got a draw, then we took already one point too many. I don't think there is any reason to worry, but we have to improve pretty quickly."

The Reds are still two points ahead of the Gunners, who they managed to beat 1-0 at Anfield on August 31 in their third match of the league season.

Premier League title race: How worried should Liverpool be of Arsenal?

Liverpool were fortunate to only be trailing 1-0 at half time against Palace considering the Eagles produced a number of golden opportunities, only for Alisson Becker to deny them multiple times.

The Reds have conceded two goals in four of their eight games this season, and they have kept just two clean sheets, whereas the Gunners have kept five clean sheets.

Arsenal had the best defence in the top flight last season, but the addition of attackers Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres could improve their forward line considerably.

Slot can still call upon a number of impressive options up front, with Alexander Isak yet to truly settle into the starting XI since arriving at Anfield, but improvements must be made at the other end of the pitch if his side are to retain their title.

How can Arne Slot improve his side's defence?

Van Dijk has managed to excel at the back despite the fact Liverpool have been subpar defensively, but his partner Ibrahima Konate has struggled to find consistency.

Joe Gomez could be an option to come into the starting lineup in order to allow the Frenchman to be taken out of the spotlight, though there are considerable issues elsewhere in the team.

Alexis Mac Allister missed much of pre-season due to injury and has failed to impress this campaign, with his poor defensive performances exposing Liverpool's back four.

It would perhaps be better for Curtis Jones to feature in the double pivot alongside Ryan Gravenberch for the time being, while Dominik Szoboszlai could move into midfield positions from right-back.