All too often the unsung hero of the side, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker showed once again why he is amongst the very best in the business on Tuesday night.
Despite taking an early two-goal lead in Madrid thanks to Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita the Reds were pegged back to 2-2 in Madrid as an Antoine Griezmann brace levelled matters for Atletico.
Things would’ve been worse for Jurgen Klopp’s side had it not been for the heroics of Alisson as the staunch last line of defence.
Speaking to BT Sport (broadcast on 19/10; 23:07), former Liverpool attacking midfielder Joe Cole was full of praise for the Brazilian stopper.
That positioning from him, and that game of cat and mouse, unbelievable. That’s what great teams have got, when one of your great players isn’t at his very, very best, your goalie here, that’s immense.
The 29-year-old was called upon to deny Griezmann a hat-trick and Yannick Carrasco as Atletico threatened to take the lead.
Ultimately the visitors to the Wanda Metropolitano earned all three points when Salah duly converted a gift-wrapped penalty.
So far this season Alisson has kept four clean sheets in 10 appearances – earning a 7.14 average Sofascore rating from seven Premier League outings.
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We’ve all witnessed the Brazilian’s ability with the ball at his feet and indeed when whipped in from a corner, but the stock and trade for any ‘keeper must be making saves.
Luckily for the Reds last night, the £54million valued ace was at the very peak of his powers and pulled off a string of impressive stops to keep Klopp’s side in command.
So often it’s forwards that decide the destination of trophies and the big moments in a season, but Liverpool’s star has a history of producing when it matters most and Kopites will hope this was another memorable performance on the journey to something special.
