Alisson Becker delivered one of the all-time great goalkeeping performances of the Champions League’s rich history in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.
Put bluntly, Liverpool were dominated by PSG for 90 minutes at the Parc des Princes, but Arne Slot and his side still walked away with a first leg advantage.
And whilst Liverpool’s stoic defending also deserves credit, it was Alisson who gave Slot’s side the platform to steal a 1-0 win late on.
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The Brazilian made several outstanding saves and the outpouring of praise for the keeper after the game has been well deserved.
Slot praised Alisson immediately after full-time in Paris and Liverpool might now be quietly confident of getting past their French opposition next week once the Anfield-factor is considered.
Arne Slot told Liverpool’s players they would suffer against PSG
That being said, when speaking to TNT Sports after Wednesday’s tie, Alisson shared what Slot had been telling the Liverpool players about PSG even before the game had kicked off.
Alisson suggested that Liverpool were well prepared to suffer without the ball, aware that every single player needed to work immensely hard.
First reflecting on his own display, Alisson said: “It was probably the performance of my life. The manager was telling us how hard it would be to play against PSG, how good they are with the ball and that we would have to be ready to suffer. We knew what was coming.
“We worked hard. We gave away so many chances, sometimes one vs one but the biggest part of the chase is having someone make the player with the chance think a bit more.
“All the efforts the team put in makes my job easier. Then at the end Harvey [Elliott] coming in and scoring the goal, it is a great story for us. A great night.”
Liverpool can’t afford to lose focus on Southampton tie
Of course, Liverpool do also need to focus on what should be a relatively straightforward game against Southampton at the weekend.
On the face of it, it’s top versus bottom of the Premier League and the game is at Anfield – the result should be a foregone conclusion.
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However, Slot will be keen to ensure that no complacency creeps in, a game Liverpool will still need to be fully focused for.
Luckily, Liverpool have characters like Alisson and Virgil van Dijk to ensure that doesn’t happen.
And speaking of the Red’s backline, Slot made some interesting comments about Trent Alexander-Arnold once things were concluded in Paris.