After the high of the title celebrations at Anfield, Liverpool looked hungover against a Chelsea side who are fighting for a Champions League spot for next season. The champions were given a guard of honour at Stamford Bridge after securing their 20th league title which Van Dijk says should happen as a mark of respect.
“Of course, it’s about respect and I think it’s well deserved, there’s three more to go.
“Every guard of honour is big, it’s a sign of respect and that’s it, I think. I think that’s how it should be.”
Van Dijk reiterated to his teammates the cost that dropping their levels can have even if the title is secured and second placed Arsenal have their mind on Europe rather than the league.
"I think possession was quite good, but when we didn't have the ball the pressing wasn't great and they could find between the lines,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports.
"To concede that early is not great, but if we start to play the way we want to play then we can create chances. There were chances for us to score - in the end they deserve the win. That's the disappointing thing as we came here to win.
"Obviously we tried, but it wasn't great.The way we trained, the sharpness that we had, everyone was ready for it.”
Liverpool will recieve a guard of honour from Arsenal, Brighton and Crystal Palace in the coming weeks as the season comes to a close and fans prepare for a huge parade through the city which Van Dijk says will be extra special after fans missed out due to Covid restrictions the last time they won the title.
“The parade will be even more crazy than ever and there will be even more people coming from around the world to be in Liverpool to come and be with us. I encourage everyone that supports Liverpool all around the world to come and celebrate an amazing year in the Premier League that we’ve had. But the day is not there, we still have three games.
“There’s a lot of - how do you call it? - I won’t say dreaming about lifting the title because it will be a reality but I can picture it and it will be a very emotional day.
“My family will be there, my mum, my wife, my kids and until we get there, we must keep focusing on the games ahead of us and try to win the last three games in front of us.”