Virgil van Dijk singles out two Liverpool stars as captain holds his hands up

Andoni Iraola is still finding his feet as Liverpool manager. Yet the Basque manager has already surpassed his predecessor, Arne Slot, in one crucial aspect. Tuesday evening's thrilling 4-3 Champions League victory against Villarreal marked the third occasion in 11 matches this season that the Reds have overturned a losing position to claim victory. Indeed, it was the second consecutive fixture in which Iraola's men accomplished the feat, having battled back to claim a 2-1 Premier League win at Brentford on Saturday, following a similar recovery at home to Atletico Madrid last month.

Liverpool managed to overturn a deficit on only two occasions last season, and draws from losing positions against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in August mean they have already equalled that total across the whole of the previous campaign.

While there remains some anxiety about the way the Reds are complicating matters for themselves, they are demonstrating far greater mental fortitude and resilience under Iraola.

"Definitely," said skipper Virgil van Dijk. "Obviously we don't want to put ourselves in a position where you have to come back from anything and that's what I did from the start.

"But then there was the fightback and the moments we created because we have to remember Villarreal are a very good team on the ball and they showed that with a lot of movements and rotations on the ball. It wasn't a great first half but we got it turned around."

The disastrous start Van Dijk referred to saw him present Georges Mikautadze with an opportunity to hand Villarreal an early advantage, which was extended before the half-hour mark by Sergi Cardona.

"It was a terrible start," said the Netherlands international, who held his hands up. "I think the saying is you fight an uphill battle and as a defender it is pretty difficult to come back from it. I tried but it was a bad day at the office personally but we do it together with 11 players.

"Fortunately it didn't happen too many times in my Liverpool career but I was not the best. But we won and it's not about me, it's all about us."

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Young winger Rio Ngumoha, operating on the right flank, delivered his finest display in a Liverpool shirt on Tuesday, setting up Ronald Araujo's equaliser and Alexis Mac Allister's goal to put the Reds 3-2 in front.

With former talisman Mohamed Salah having departed in the summer, Van Dijk revealed how the squad's more seasoned players have taken Ngumoha under their wing.

"A few senior players, I would say Cody (Gakpo) is definitely part of that," he said. "But everyone has that role in order to help the youngsters in the group, the players who have not had so much experience.

"Everyone is chipping in but for him to work with Mo last year was obviously massive as Mo was one of the best wingers at the club and experienced everything, so why not soak in all the information and show it on the pitch and show your own qualities?

"I think Rio has shown it this season but there is still much more to come. He's pretty electric at times and he showed it again on Tuesday. He was a complete threat constantly and their defender had a tough time."

Liverpool once more showcased their heightened hunger to press under Iraola, especially in the second half, when, having equalised by the interval, they seized control from Villarreal.

And Van Dijk considers the transition to a more dominant approach better aligned with supporters' expectations. "What the manager wants us to do is something which resonates with Liverpool and it is down to us to show us each and every game," he said.

"It's not easy, it's demanding but if you want to win games and win games in the Liverpool way then we have to do it. The first half was obviously not good at all and the second half was solid and we turned it around and that's a good sign.

"It is only October. We train a lot, tactically as well, but because there are so many games you learn playing games and Villarreal was a test in that sense."

Liverpool are now approaching the midpoint of a gruelling nine-game schedule spanning 29 days, which continues with the Premier League visit of in-form Brighton on Sunday.

"It's an important run for sure," said Van Dijk. "We are also coming to a period now, especially November-December, when I think you can see who will be challenging for certain places.

"But our full focus is on the game ahead of us, that should always be the case. Brighton are flying high and it will be a tough one."

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