Van Dijk struck in the 100th minute as Liverpool won 2-1 at Hill Dickinson stadium on Sunday.
Asked how it compared with his debut goal against the Toffee, the Dutchman later said: "Nothing like that, the debut goal – I think that was the perfect night for me personally.
"But today it was massive in the situation we are in, in the hunt for the Champions League spots. Obviously that’s definitely not Liverpool-worthy, in my opinion, but it is the reality and it was important that we got the win here today. And I’m glad we did."
On the result strengthening their top four hopes, Van Dijk was bullish.
He also said: "One hundred per cent. We’ve got five more games left against teams that are also fighting for the Champions League spots. Every game is a big one. Like I said, we are very disappointed as a whole for the season that we’re having, because of the quality we have – it’s below standards.
"But we have to keep fighting, keep going and make the best out of this difficult, poor season that we’re having."