Alisson is already aware that he may have experienced another “Napoli moment” at Liverpool this season.
Alisson, the Reds’ goalkeeper, and Eddie Howe have already reached an understanding over a crucial Liverpool moment that might significantly impact Jürgen Klopp’s team’s season course.
When Jürgen Klopp’s team was leading 1-0 in the 92nd minute of Liverpool’s last Champions League group stage match against Napoli in December 2018, a cross from the right side eluded the whole Reds defense and ended up at Arkadiusz Milik’s foot at the back post.
Milik controlled it and attempted to put it in, but Alisson, the goalie, moved fast to position himself such that his thigh could prevent the shot.
It would have been one of his best saves against Liverpool even in a different situation, but its significance has helped it become a legendary save.
At that point, the group was all but determined, with Liverpool needing to win 1-0 or by two goals to ensure.
Liverpool would, of course, go on to win the competition that year, beating Tottenham 2-0 in the final in Madrid.
As such, Alisson’s save from Milik has come to be viewed as one of the most pivotal moments of Klopp’s tenure.
Earlier this season, though, the Brazilian produced an even better stop to deny Miguel Almirón away to Newcastle United, one that won him the Premier League save of the month award.
Almirón fired a thunderous volley on target, and Alisson showed remarkable reflexes to push it onto the crossbar as he fell backwards.
and knew it had been decisive. The Magpies were 1-0 up against 10 players at the time after Virgil van Dijk’s red card, but went on to lose 2-1 as Darwin Núñez produced a heroic late double off the bench.
What’s more, Alisson has already predicted that it will prove to be significant come the end of the season.
He picked it out as his ‘ultimate’ Premier League moment to date, even eclipsing his extraordinary last-minute goal against West Brom in the 2020/21 season. “I have a feeling this one will be special for us,” he said.
Yes, Newcastle is a potential rival — Howe’s side finished one place and four points ahead of the Reds last season — but more than that, Alisson knows the importance of fine margins at this level.
Liverpool has twice missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City by a single point, and expects to be at least in the conversation for top honors again this year.
The win, one of Liverpool’s unlikeliest triumphs for the squad, was also an almighty morale boost for the squad.
It propelled them into a five-match winning run that may have set the course for the campaign.
To put it simply, a season is made up of match-defining moments that all form part of the bigger picture.
It’s worth stressing that Alisson won this game in tandem with Núñez, but it had the feel of a critical victory nonetheless.
We don’t know if that will still be the case come May, but at this stage, it remains one of the most important individual contributions from a Liverpool player in 2023/24.
After all, it’s the only game so far that the Reds have won by a single goal.
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