Liverpool supporters have been making a lot of noise in recent times after seeing their side maintain their unbeaten start to the new Premier League season at the weekend.

Jurgen Klopp’s men went into their clash with high-flying Watford having won nine and drawn the other three of their opening 12 league matches, sitting just two points behind leaders Manchester City in the table. And the Reds recorded a tenth league success of the campaign on Saturday as goals from Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Roberto Firmino sealed a 3-0 win for Klopp’s men at Vicarage Road, keeping them hot on the heels of Pep Guardiola’s Citizens.

As such, there have been many thrilled Liverpudlians up and down the country in recent times, several of whom have unsurprisingly been heaping praise on the front three, who were at their devastating best in Hertfordshire on Saturday.

Salah bagged his seventh league goal of the campaign against the Hornets to underline his return to form in recent weeks, while Firmino’s strike late on was his first in the Premier League since the middle of September - and with two assists for Sadio Mane, it’s clear that the front three were at their irresistible best at Vicarage Road.

Yet it was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests given it took the Reds until the 67th minute to break the deadlock, with Klopp’s men owing a great deal to centre back Virgil van Dijk for a commanding display in the heart of their defence to help them into the position to win the game.

Clearly, the Dutchman’s arrival back in January has helped the Liverpool backline ten-fold, with the Merseyside giants going from a side very suspect defensively to one of the best teams at the back in the league this season.

And after another sensational display on Saturday, it’s not hard to see why the Reds spent a record £75 million on the defender, what with van Dijk showing his class both on and off the ball to help Klopp’s side record a tenth Premier League win of the season.

The 27-year-old ex-Southampton defender touched the ball more often than any other player on the pitch over the course of the 90 minutes (105), at the same time completing more passes than the other 21 players who started the game (81).

Thus, the Netherlands international was able to control the game with the ball at his feet, but even when called upon to fulfil defensive duties, the centre back had the answers by winning all eight of his aerial duels, and indeed all three of the tackles he attempted.

Add in a team-high eight clearances, and it was a defensive masterclass by the Dutchman at Vicarage Road on Saturday - no wonder Watford, who had won four of their six home games prior to the weekend, couldn’t break through.

So while the front three will likely earn many of the plaudits, it was the efforts of van Dijk who helped provide the platform from which they performed, and thus got the goals to record Liverpool’s tenth win of the season.

Liverpool fans… what do you think? Let us know!