Virgil van Dijk reaffirmed his belief that Liverpool "truly deserved" to win the Premier League title after they thrashed Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 to clinch their 20th top-flight crown. 

Needing just a point, Arne Slot's team overcame Dominic Solanke's 12th-minute header to ease to victory, moving 15 points clear of second-placed Arsenal with four games left. 

Luis Diaz started Liverpool's revival before Alexis Mac Allister's stunning strike and Cody Gakpo's fine finish had Anfield in party mode before the half-time whistle had sounded.

The Reds got their fourth just beyond the hour mark as Mohamed Salah slammed the ball past Guglielmo Vicario before a Destiny Udogie own-goal concluded the rout. 

And in Van Dijk, Liverpool have had a solid foundation to build on this season, with the Dutchman a key part of the Reds' success at the heart of their defence. 

Indeed, Van Dijk became the 12th different player to captain Liverpool to the top-flight title and the first non-British player to do so, clinching his second Premier League crown. 

The 33-year-old is one of eight Liverpool players in the current squad who won the title in 2019-20, doing so in front of no fans due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

And speaking after their victory over Spurs, Van Dijk, who recently extended his stay on Merseyside for two more years, was clearly emotional by what he had achieved. 

"Yeah, I was desperate for them (to be here) of course, for all the fans around the world, for the fans here, but for us as well," Van Dijk said.

"We got two Premier League trophies in five years, so that's still a good achievement." 

Liverpool's dominance throughout the campaign has been evident, sitting top of the Premier League for 206 days, 165 more than any other side (Manchester City, 41). 

They also rank first in the Premier League for goals (80), shots (591), shots on target (216), expected goals (75.5), big chances (136), and touches in the opposition’s box (1274).

"It's special, and it's something that we don't take for granted. It's amazing, what today was," Van Dijk told Sky Sports as the players took a lap of honour around Anfield.

"A lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week. We got the job done, and we truly deserve to be champions of England.

"(It's) the most beautiful club in the world. I think we deserve all of this. Let's enjoy the next couple of weeks and let it sink in."

Liverpool will play their first game as the 2024-25 Premier League champions away to Chelsea next Sunday before welcoming Arsenal to Anfield a week later. 

Slot's team conclude their season with an away trip to Brighton before returning to Merseyside once again, where they will lift the title, after their clash with Crystal Palace.