The unity in the Liverpool dressing room was clear for all to see after the Reds took another major stride towards an unprecedented quadruple with victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals.
An opening goal from in-form Ibrahima Konate and a double from Sadio Mane gave the Merseysiders a commanding 3-0 lead at the break which proved unassailable for City, even if they struck twice in the second half to restore their pride. Liverpool's Wembley triumph means they are just 90 minutes of football away from winning their second trophy of the season having already scooped the Carabao Cup in February.
Remarkably, Jurgen Klopp's side also have a strong hand in the Premier League and Champions League, meaning they could feasibly win all four major trophies available to them. This is something no English club has ever achieved, so it comes as no surprise Liverpool's stars are refusing to get carried away.
Klopp himself has flatly refused to entertain talk of the quadruple and his players are toeing the party line by largely dismissing suggestions they could pull off the astonishing feat. This was most apparent in Virgil van Dijk's post-match interview, when the Dutch defender warned reporters he would not allow them to "put even more pressure" on himself and his teammates. "We don't talk about anything that could happen," Van Dijk told Sky Sports when asked about the quadruple.
"So, that's all for you guys, you can't put even more pressure on us than you're already doing. We just focus on the game and today was a tough game against City. Maybe it's the last time this season we play against each other, maybe not. But now we have to do everything to recover, we have to do everything to recover - it was an intense game - and make sure we are ready for [Manchester] United."
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Mane and Alisson, meanwhile, confessed it is a "dream" to win the quadruple but stressed there are many fixtures separating Liverpool and the remaining three trophies. "We have a lot of games to go and we will try to do our best - it's our dream for sure and we will fight for it," Mane told BBC Sport. Speaking to beIN Sports, Alisson added: "We don't have much time to think about these things!
"We are always just focused on the next game and the next challenge. We dream about it, but we dream with our feet on the ground, being humble. We need to keep on going." Liverpool host rivals Manchester United in the Premier League on Tuesday night and they are relying on City to drop points in one of their seven remaining top-flight games as they sit one point behind them at the table's summit. The Reds could face Pep Guardiola's side again this season if they both progress to the Champions League final, with the former facing Villarreal and latter taking on Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
