Former Liverpool forward Michael Owen has challenged Virgil van Dijk to become a consistent goal threat after the Dutchman's vital contribution during last night's win over Wolves.
Jurgen Klopp's side returned to winning ways in the Premier League as Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah got on the scoresheet, having seen a Darwin Nunez effort ruled out earlier in the second half for a foul on Wolves defender Nelson Semedo in the build-up.
The breakthrough arrived at Anfield in the 73rd minute after Diogo Jota reacted quickest to a Jose Sa save, steering the ball in the direction of the Reds' towering defender who headed past the Wolves goalkeeper from point-blank range. Salah was next to score five minutes later, sweeping home from inside the box to secure a crucial three points.
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Van Dijk's effort moved him to three goals for the season, the same tally he managed last campaign, proving once again the damage he can cause within the final third. The 31-year-old was on target six times during his first full year with the club, followed by five in 2018/19, and Owen is of the view the ex-Southampton can be utilised in this department more than is currently the case.
"You see him score certain goals and he is brave, massive, strong, tall and has all the attributes to score lots of goals from set-pieces," he told Premier League Productions. "I'm sure he looks at it himself and thinks 'I should be scoring half a dozen goals a season'. He has contributed some big goals over the years and that was a big goal today to break the deadlock."
On the scorer of the second versus Wolves - Salah - Owen added: "He has got such a mentality and wants to score all the time. Even when he is not at the absolute top of his game, he is still Liverpool's biggest threat. People will think that's lucky [Salah's goal] when it has just bounced off your leg, but you can shape your body in a way where you know the ball will bounce in the net if you hit it with a certain part of your leg.
"He is a top-class performer. He has been at the forefront of this team for many years now and he will go down in record books, no question about it. He went past me a while ago and now he is about to go past Robbie Fowler. Whose next after that?"
Wednesday's result will serve as a major boost for Liverpool after the recent criticism that has come their way, but Owen has stressed the current crop should not be doubted given their achievements of years gone by. "These players have proven it, the manager has proven it, the owners have proven it, the fans and everything in that place has been proven to work for years," he said. "It doesn't take everything to be ripped up. It's not a time to be panicking and thinking everything is wrong. This is a great team we have watched, and it still can be great when they get back on their feet."
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