Rio Ferdinand praised the “effortless” display of Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher in the win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
The Reds maintained their 100 per cent record in the Champions League as Darwin Nunez poked home the winner in the first half.
But it was far from plain sailing for Arne Slot’s side, who had to rely on their goalkeeper to keep the scores level as the Bundesliga side ramped up the pressure towards the end of the game.
Kelleher produced fine saves to deny Benjamin Sesko and Xavi Simons in quick succession before diving full length to block a Benjamin Henrichs drive.
The Republic of Ireland international was looking for a move away from Anfield in the summer having grown tired of playing second fiddle to Alisson, particularly after Liverpool agreed a fee with Valencia for Giorgi Mamardashvili to arrive next summer as the Brazilian’s long-term replacement.
Both Ferdinand and Steve McManaman were full of praise for Kelleher’s performance after the game.
“Keepers don’t come in often but when they do you want them to come in and hit the ground running,” Ferdinand said on TNT Sports.
“They haven’t got time to get settled, they’ve got to be able to take up the pace of the game and get in the groove immediately.
“Every time I’ve seen him he’s done really well in that sense. Alisson has got big shoes to fill but he comes in and it just looks effortless with him.
“You have to have a level of humility to be able to go ‘I am this guy’ and sit in the background for the majority of the time but when called upon you’ve got the confidence to come in and perform.”
McManaman added: “It’s almost disrespectful saying he’s a number two because, of course, he does play second in command when Alisson is fit but he’s played too many games to be associated with that [label]. He’s an outstanding goalkeeper when called upon.”
Liverpool boss Slot is well aware of how lucky he is to have two excellent goalkeepers in his squad.
“Very fortunate [to have him],’the Dutchman said. “It’s also a normal thing at a club like ours that you have very good players in every position.
“Ali was out last season and out this season again. It’s not only him. We have players who are not always in the starting lineup who did it again today.”
It’s not entirely clear how long Alisson will be out for, but reports suggest his hamstring problem may be slightly worse than first feared and he may now be out until December.
He certainly won’t be back for Liverpool’s trip to the Emirates to take on Arsenal on Sunday, when Kelleher will have another opportunity to impress.