Jurgen Klopp was disappointed with Thiago Alcantara’s defensive error during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Arsenal last night.
During his post-match interview with BBC Sport (1min 35secs), the manager said that Thiago had taken responsibility for the error.
“It was a little bit like it was the first half and it can happen but it should not happen. Thiago knows that,” said Klopp.
“He’s probably the most relieved person on the planet at the moment that nothing happened, Ali saved him pretty much.”
Thiago’s loose ball had played Alexandre Lacazette through on goal at 0-0. Luckily heroics from Alisson Becker came to his teammate’s rescue.
“That was a back pass in a situation where we didn’t want it. We wanted to play much more forward and there we played a back pass and it could have punished us,” the manager continued.
A tale of two goalkeepers
It was a heart in mouth moment for every Liverpool fan. Lacazette has a particularly good record against The Reds and it looked like he would add to it as he ran through last night.
It was undoubtedly a poor moment from Thiago. But rather than dwell on the rare errant pass from the usually masterful Spaniard, we’d rather focus on the sheer brilliance of Alisson Becker.
The speed at which the goalkeeper not only thwarted Lacazette but then harried and eventually saved from Odegaard was amazing to watch. As Jamie Carragher pointed out, it could end up being a huge moment in the season.
It was otherwise a night where Alisson was relatively untroubled. But the concentration the Brazilian showed to keep the score at 0-0 is yet another example of why he is currently the best ‘keeper on the planet.
That’s now 16 clean sheets in 27 Premier League games this season for Alisson. This shut-out pulled him level with compatriot Ederson in the race for the Golden Glove.
Having not won it since his first season at the club, the 29-year-old will have his eyes on the individual prize.
The true value of Alisson though was laid bare just two minutes after his brilliant save. It’s hard to imagine that the Liverpool ‘keeper would have let Diogo Jota’s near-post strike squirm underneath him, as Aaron Ramsdale did for Arsenal.
In a game of fine margins like last night, Alisson is worth his weight in gold. What a goalkeeper!
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