Virgil van Dijk has urged Darwin Nunez and the Liverpool squad to remain positive despite their exit from the Champions League. Following a nerve-wracking penalty shootout at Anfield, with Gianluigi Donnarumma thwarting Nunez and Curtis Jones, Desire Doue sealed Paris Saint-Germain's passage to the quarter-finals. Earlier on, Ousmane Dembele's strike had cancelled out Liverpool's lead, ensuring an evenly poised contest in the second leg.
But Van Dijk is already looking ahead to Liverpool's next shot at silverware. With the Carabao Cup final on the horizon, they have the chance to bestow Arne Slot with his first trophy since taking over the team - if they can triumph over Newcastle United. The Liverpool skipper is keen for his team-mates to erase the memory of Tuesday's disappointment and carve out a momentous weekend at Wembley.
"It's part of football," Van Dijk said. "I said to the guys 'you can be disappointed because we are out of the competition, but chin up'. Now we get ready for the next challenge at the weekend which is a beautiful one.
"I think we were pretty good today as well, and you want to go as far as possible, but we knew when we drew PSG it was going to be very difficult. We saw in Paris when we struggled but we won, and today we saw a very good Liverpool side but we're out of the competition."
Reflecting on a gripping encounter that saw his side bow out of the competition, PSG's Luis Enrique said: "Today from the first second and then extra time, when fatigue kicks in for both sides, it becomes more open but especially regular time, we showed a very good game. We can speak about the game for ages but we're out of the competition, that is the reality."
While tipping his hat to Liverpool's formidable display, Enrique reserved special commendation for his goalkeeper, Donnarumma, whose performance he highlighted as pivotal. "Both of the teams deserve to go to the next phase," Enrique admitted.
"They play better than us here, but I think my team at Anfield, in a special stadium showed great personality and character. We tried to play our best, but it was difficult as they're so intense. Both teams deserve to qualify.
"The character and personality, even when we shoot at the penalty shootout they showed great character. I think it shows clearly the team we are.
"When the draw told us about the match against Liverpool and PSG. Both managers thought the same - one of the best matches you can watch in Europe. I think both teams were great.
"It is not about consistency you have to be great in specific moments. We suffered a lot in Paris, but football is in that way. Unfair at times. Today we were lucky, they hit the post a few times. 'Gigi' [Gianluigi Donnarumma] was like Alisson in the first match. We are happy and confident to go to the next phase."
This article originally appeared on the Daily Mirror