Chelsea’s Cole Palmer says Liverpool player is actually the toughest opponent he’s ever faced

Liverpool have raced off the blocks under Arne Slot and have notched up 11 wins from 13 games across all competitions.

The Reds find themselves a point behind Manchester City in the Premier League table after their 2-2 draw against Arsenal but won’t be unhappy with their position as they underwent wholesale changes behind the scenes this summer.

Another team that underwent a re-jig this summer was Chelsea as Enzo Maresca replaced Mauricio Pochettino at the helm.

A lot has changed at Stamford Bridge, but Cole Palmer has continued to light up the Premier League with his exploits.

And the Chelsea midfielder has showered high praise on a Liverpool defender he has already come up against this season.

Cole Palmer names Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk as his toughest opponent

Liverpool recently secured a 2-1 win against Chelsea at Anfield thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Curtis Jones, while Nicolas Jackson got his name on the scoresheet for the Blues.

Palmer had been a topic of discussion at Liverpool earlier this season due to his fantastic form, but the England international didn’t have his best game against the Reds as he was kept at bay by Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.

When asked to name his toughest opponent during a quickfire Q&A session with Chelsea, Palmer simply quipped ‘Van Dijk’ without hesitation, as seen below in the video.

How many times has Palmer faced Van Dijk?

Palmer has come up against Van Dijk three times since swapping Manchester City for Chelsea last summer and is yet to get one over the Dutchman.

Liverpool won at Anfield this season in the Premier League and the corresponding fixture finished 4-1 in favour of the Reds last season.

The two sides also faced each other in the Carabao Cup last season and the England international once again ended up on the losing side as Van Dijk got the solitary goal of the game in extra time to lift the trophy.

Van Dijk’s stats this season

The Liverpool captain has been ever-present in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, recently scoring a crucial goal in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Van Dijk said he’s calm about his future as his contract winds down at the end of the season, but Liverpool know they need to do whatever it takes to tie him down to a new deal in the coming months.