Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson was burning up the internet tonight due to the ultra-clutch save he made in stoppage time of his side’s 1-0 Champions League group stage win over Napoli. The Brazilian’s stopping Arkadiusz Milik’s shot from close range saved Liverpool figurative and literally.
A Napoli equalizer would have demoted the Reds, last year’s UCL runner-up to the Europa League. However, Alisson saved the shot, the game and the European campaign for the Merseyside club. The play was a thing of beauty too. Have a look:
CLUTCH SAVE FROM ALISSON TO QUALIFY https://t.co/wD1DETUWDg
— Samuel (@SamueILFC) December 11, 2018
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was full of praise in his post-match news conference. Not just for the goalkeeper, but the whole team.
“The goal Mo scored — what a goal, unbelievable. And the save Ali made — I have no words for that,” Klopp said.
“That was, of course, a lifesaver tonight. I’m really proud what the boys did tonight. It was not only one save. He had a lot of things to do tonight.
“How cool and calm he was with the ball helps us a lot in our build-up situations. When he comes out for crosses he is outstanding.”
“And, yes, that save was just incredible, but if we don’t defend the whole pitch like we defended, Ali cannot make 20 saves like the last one. He did it. … Incredible, unbelievable. I never saw something similar. But still he needs the other boys around.”
When Alisson was acquired in the summer from AS Roma for £67 million, he broke the all time transfer fee record for a goalkeeper. Tonight, LFC certainly saw a major ROI (return on investment). Liverpool are now through to the knockout round in back-to-back Champions League campaigns for the first time since 2008-09.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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