Caoimhin Kelleher was influential for Liverpool in his first Champions League outing since 2020, and Arne Slot spoke of how “fortunate” the Reds are to have him after the win at Leipzig.
Despite Alisson‘s long history with injuries, Wednesday’s trip to Leipzig was the first time Kelleher had started in Europe’s premier competition in nearly four years.
He last played in the Champions League against Midtjylland in December 2020, but the time between the two games showed his growth and how valuable he is to the club as the No. 2 goalkeeper.
As per FotMob, the Irishman made six saves and seven recoveries to earn the title of Man of the Match with a rating of 8.5-out-of-10 and, unsurprisingly, he was a topic of discussion.
“Very fortunate [to have him], [but] it is also a normal thing at a club like ours that you have for every position almost, two very good players,” Slot told TNT Sports.
“We are very lucky, or we are happy, that we have two excellent goalkeepers, especially because Alisson was out last season and he’s been out this season again.
“That makes it even more important that you have a second choice like that.
“But it is not only him, it’s also other players that maybe haven’t played that much this season or were not always in the starting lineup that showed up today as well.
“It’s good to see we can do it with more than 11 players, we need the whole squad in a tough season like this.”
Kelleher has now made four appearances this season and is just five away from his second-most outings in a single campaign for the club.
Kelleher out to seize his moment
With Alisson not expected back until after the international break, Kelleher has a guaranteed run in the side that he is ready to make the most of.
“All I can do is just play well when I get the chance and give the manager something to think about,” he told TNT Sports.
“But, most importantly, is that I do well when I do get the opportunities and show him what I’m about.
“One of the lads asked me before the game actually when my last Champions League game was. I think it was maybe three years ago.
“Special to be back in this tournament especially, and to get the clean sheet was nice.”
It is still absurd to think several Premier League clubs did not value him enough to make a move in the summer window, but their loss is certainly Liverpool’s gain.
