Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has said he hopes the "reward will come soon" for his team and supporters after his side beat Chelsea to reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

The Reds exited the competition at the same stage last season - with a resounding 3-0 home loss to Crystal Palace - but under Andoni Iraola, Liverpool seem to be building something better this campaign.

When asked whether wins like that are bringing the energy back into Anfield, Van Dijk said: "Yeah, of course. It's a night like this and obviously the other night [against Villarreal]. I think the fans definitely like what they're seeing and, of course, you feel that energy and it's great.

"I've been feeling that energy for quite a while and when you then miss it a little bit, to get it back is obviously very good.

"Results help, massively. We understand that as well. We want to show that for the full 90 minutes - every game, home and away. Obviously it's not the easiest thing to do, but we're trying and nights like this help.

"We put a lot of work in behind the scenes. Hopefully the reward will come soon."