Netherlands international Van Dijk put Liverpool two goals to the good, before Albion pegged back their hosts and gave the league leaders a late scare, after goalkeeper Alisson was shown a red card.
Van Dijk, who’ll find out today if he’s been crowned the world’s greatest player, said, “They didn’t surprise us at all. We analysed them well, we had meetings, and we knew how Brighton would play.
“They play a certain way, keep the ball, play on our pressure and there are not a lot of teams that do that and do it so well.
“Especially at Anfield, I think it is always difficult for teams to play out under pressure, but they did it well.
“We give them credit. We knew we could expect this. We could have done better, but we don’t need to discredit them.”
Davy Propper impressed in midfield for Albion, and his Dutch teammate Van Dijk says he will be an important player for Holland at this summer’s European Championships.
Propper and Van Dijk will line up against Austria, Ukraine and one other next summer in the 60th anniversary tournament.
“Davy is a fantastic player. He is very important for our country and a great guy.”