Gary Lineker was blown away by the quality of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s passing last night.
The Reds’ ‘keeper was relatively quiet against Manchester United, collecting a ninth clean sheet in 12 games as Liverpool won 4-0.
Alisson did manage to keep alert to make a smart double save with the score at 2-0, but otherwise he was completely untroubled.
With their team on top, most goalkeepers would fade into being mere spectators. Alisson Becker isn’t most goalkeepers though, he’s the absolute best in the business. Not called upon to contribute with his shot-stopping, he started pinging passes to his teammates.
Reacting to one such pinpoint long ball, as posted by Liverpool FC on Twitter, Lineker simply replied “Filth.” Couldn’t have put it better, Gary.
Another big moment from Alisson
Alisson’s double save from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga last night will more than likely be completely forgotten about.
That’s because after the Brazilian had thwarted the United pair, the offside flag went up.
However, replays showed that neither player was actually in an offside position. As a result, any goal would have stood.
After such an emphatic 4-0 win, it may seems churlish to point to a key moment being from the goalkeeper. That would be to disregard the fact that Liverpool came out for the second half in first-gear, though.
Jadon Sancho’s introduction and a change of shape for United gave Liverpool some problems to deal with. When Alisson saved one-on-one from Rashford before doing the same to Elanga, The Reds were looking concerningly lethargic.
Had United been able to cut the deficit in half with 25 minutes or so to go, it could have made for a complete swing in momentum and atmosphere.
Instead, moments later Sadio Mane had put the game to bed with a third goal for Liverpool.
These are the kind of moments where games are won and lost. Although Liverpool may have strolled to victory regardless, it was another example of just how crucial Alisson’s qualities are.
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