Virgil van Dijk has urged Liverpool to remember their status as Premier League champions and pleaded with pundits not to blame their dip in form on the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Reds suffered their third consecutive defeat on Saturday when Chelsea clinched a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge, thanks to Estevao Willian's last-minute goal.

This defeat followed a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday night and a 2-1 setback against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park the previous weekend.

Van Dijk acknowledges that the high turnover of players this season was bound to result in a difficult adjustment period within the revamped squad, but it's not all down to Trent's exit.

"It's not about him. He had amazing quality but he left us. Last year, we played a lot of games without him as well. Obviously we were all gutted that he left in the summer, but that is not the issue," he said.

Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool applauds the travelling Liverpool supporters after their team's...