Liverpool fans couldn’t quite believe how the Reds beat Paris Saint-Germain, showering Alisson with praise after a memorable 1-0 win in the Champions League.
Arne Slot hasn’t experienced a game like that as Liverpool boss.
PSG were superb against the Reds on Wednesday evening, creating chances at will, but the visitors’ mental fortitude shone through.
Harvey Elliott‘s dramatic late winner means Slot’s men take a narrow lead with them to Anfield next Tuesday, where a much-improved performance is required.
Here, Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) and Dan Clubbe (@dan_clubbe) discuss one of the most hard-earned Liverpool wins in years, also paying special attention to Alisson.
The good…
DAN: The most obvious place to start is the result. Going away in Europe is never easy, but we were very much second-best for more or less the entirety of the contest.
I would have snatched your hand off for a draw midway through the first half, so to come away a goal up is a remarkable outcome.
Credit to the whole squad, who despite undergoing the most severe of going-overs by the much better side on the night, managed to find a way of staying in the match whilst continuing to offer the same levels of fight.
There is a lot to be said for that.
Slot’s use of the bench was great, too, as all of the subs made a positive impression.
Nunez and Elliott combining for the goal will get the plaudits, but Endo and Jones deserve enormous credit for coming into a match where we had barely got going, somehow managing to help us over the line.
Potentially underused at times this season, I was absolutely made up to see Harvey get such a big moment in those circumstances.
You could see how much it meant during and post-match – he’s a top-drawer player with an even better attitude.
Alisson Becker. Wow. More to follow.
HENRY: I mean, it’s just impossible not to immediately think of Ali!
He was a joke, producing one of the best goalkeeping displays I’ve ever seen. Just a ridiculous player.
Stick any other Liverpool ‘keeper from the past 30 years in goal for that game and we lose handsomely, with all due respect.
The win itself will go down as a famous one, too, assuming the Reds progress, given the gritty, smash-and-grab nature of it.
Like Dan, I was delighted for Elliott, who has had a frustrating season, and I also thought Trent defended really well for large periods.
What a night!
The bad…
HENRY: I thought the starting trio in attack were really poor – it was Mo’s worst performance of the season by some distance.
He’s one of those great players who is particularly bad on an off-day!
Diaz and Jota didn’t hold onto the ball at all, and lacked an attacking threat, and neither are in great form at the moment.
The team performance wasn’t good enough for large periods – PSG were magnificent, in fairness – with a lack of ball retention and control of the midfield an issue.
Still, this wasn’t a result to focus too much of the negatives.
DAN: In theory, this could take a while, but it’s perhaps quicker just to praise the opponents.
As Henry alludes to, PSG ran all over us at times and pressed us to death, so much so that they utilised the lesser-seen rugby union technique of kicking to the corner just to pen us in.
Although the credit should certainly go to the home side for their performance, far too many Liverpool players underperformed as well.
We were sloppy at times at the back, in particular, and the midfield had nothing like the grip on the game we’ve seen recently.
Salah opted for this night to be his worst performance of the season, but I think he’s allowed a poor game.
Where does Alisson rank among the greats?
DAN: Alisson is certainly the greatest I’ve ever seen at Liverpool, and this performance was on another stratosphere.
When all is said and done on his time at Anfield, he has to be right up there in the pantheon of great goalkeepers.
I would be even more confident about putting him at the very top of an all-time Premier League list.
Honestly, I think Cech is the only one who comes close, and Ali has him beat in so many departments.
All the best to Mamardashvili if he does have aspirations of taking the gloves off him – based on this display, he’s going to be waiting a while!
HENRY: He could genuinely be the best I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.
It’s easy to just say someone like Schmeichel, but I wasn’t even a teenager when he left Man United, and he wasn’t under the microscope every minute of every match like in today’s game.
The likes of Buffon and Neuer have to be up there, but I honestly wouldn’t swap anyone for Ali!
Schmeichel and Cech are the only one who you can make a case for being as good in the Premier League, in my opinion.
Ali is the perfect goalkeeper, and the addition of him and Virg in 2018 has proven to be era-defining at Liverpool.
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