Liverpool rather stumbled over the line in qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages by recording a 1-0 win over Napoli at Anfield on Tuesday night. The Reds had numerous chances to win the vital game, but in the end, Mohamed Salah’s goal was enough to book their spot in the last 16 of the competition.
Alisson save the crucial moment
While Salah’s goal was decisive, there was another crucial moment in the game in stoppage-time. The ball was launch into the Liverpool penalty area and forward Arkadiusz Milik was left unmarked in the area.
It looked like the Polish substitute was about to level, until Liverpool’s Brazilian number one Alisson Becker pulled off a superb save. The save kept the Reds in the Champions League and was just as crucial as Salah’s goal.
It was the sort of save that wins games and trophies, the sort of save that explains why the Reds shell out so much money to sign Alisson from Roma in the summer.
Liverpool finally have a top goalkeeper
In the recent past, Liverpool have lacked a truly top goalkeeper. The likes of Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius were decent goalkeepers, but there was a feeling that both always had a mistake in them.
Mignolet never really developed past decent into a top-class goalkeeper. He was a decent shot stopper, but everybody at the club seemed to lack faith in the Belgian to be a solid last line of defence.
Karius is a much-derided figure after a number of high profile mistakes in the last few seasons on Merseyside, including a major error in last season’s Champions League final. The German was very similar to Mignolet in the fact that he was a good shot stopper, but there were always doubts about his dependability.
Following the mistakes of last season, it was no surprise that Karius left the Reds to join Turkish club Besiktas on a season-long loan deal in the summer. It seems doubtful Karius will ever return to Liverpool as number one.
In Alisson, the Reds have a top goalkeeper, who will make the big saves and the mistakes will be at a minimum. The Brazilian has already kept 12 clean sheets this season in all competitions and helped Klopp’s team to majorly improve their defensive record. Alisson has produced vital saves throughout the campaign. He is sure to win his team many points this season in the Premier League.
Could be the key to success this season
Most winning football teams have a top goalkeeper and Alisson’s presence between the sticks will no doubt aide their chances of winning the Premier League title and also the Champions League.
The Reds are currently top of the Premier League table, a point clear of reigning champions Manchester City in the title race. However, Jurgen Klopp’s team are still second favourites in the betting to win the title at odds of 5/2.
If Liverpool do finally end their long title drought, then Alisson will no doubt have had a massive hand in the triumph. The cynics who talked about his transfer fee in the summer are now slightly less vocal.
It turns out that Liverpool and their Brazilian goalkeeper may well just have the last laugh at the end of the season.
Can Alisson help Liverpool to glory this season?
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