Alisson splurge pays dividends for Liverpool Pochettino thrilled as Spurs complete ‘mission impossible’
Klopp lauds goalkeeper after his crucial save in stoppage time keeps Reds’ European dream alive
LIVERPOOL:LIVERPOOL were saved the ignominy of an early Champions League elimination against Napoli as the huge money invested in goalkeeper Alisson Becker came good in a tense 1-0 win over the Italians. The Brazilian number one rushed from his goal and spread his 6ft 3in frame to bravely block from Arkadiusz Milik deep into stoppage time. The save also preserved his 12th clean sheet in 22 appearances since Liverpool splashed a then world record £67-million fee on a goalkeeper.
“If I knew Alisson was this good — I would have paid double,” said a beaming Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp, clearly relieved to have escaped the group stages despite losing all three away games to group winners Paris Saint-germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.
Tied on points and head-tohead record with Napoli, Liverpool only progressed because they totalled more goals in their six group games.
“The save Ali made (was) unbelievable. It was of course a lifesaver tonight,” added Klopp.
Liverpool’s latest European night of joy at Anfield was saved because the club reacted to one to forget back in May.
Two huge errors from Loris Karius in last season’s 3-1 Champions League final defeat to Spanish giants Real Madrid proved the final straw for Klopp and his superiors when it came to skimping on goalkeepers.
Emboldened by the success of spending a world record £75 million for a defender on Virgil van Dijk in January from Southampton, and by Mohamed Salah’s 44-goal debut season after his high-priced signing from Roma, Liverpool again poached one of the Italian club’s marquee players in Alisson.
All three played a huge part on Tuesday. Salah scored the only goal of the game. After being fortunate to escape with just a yellow card for an early lunge on Dries Mertens, Van Dijk brilliantly marshalled the defence until Alisson’s late intervention.
“He’s been fantastic for Liverpool and for us,” said Van Dijk on Alisson’s impact.
SALAH ON THE BALL
Coming into the match, Liverpool needed to win with a clean sheet or by a margin of at least two goals to advance into the last 16 of the Champions League and they managed to pip Napoli 1-0 in a nail-biting match at Anfield. Their talismanic striker Mohamed Salah again played an instrumental role in his team’s win beating Napoli custodian David Ospina at his near post in the 34th minute.
IN NUMBERS
Spurs have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League for the third time in four participations in the competition
Harry Kane has had a hand in 16 goals in as many Champions League appearances
(13 goals, three assists)
ALISSON MAGIC
Liverpool’s Brazillian goalkeeper Alisson Becker stood like a rock in front of their goalpost and made a crucial save from Arkadiusz Milik in the injury time to rescue them.
The 26-year-old, who came to Anfield from Roma in July for a then world record fee for a goalkeeper of £66.8m, received special praise from manager Klopp who said, “If I knew Alisson was this good I would have paid double.”
SPURS FIGHT BACK
Spurs needed to match Inter Milan's result at home to PSV Eindhoven and they did just that as Lucas Moura's (right) 85th-minute equaliser saw them hold Barcelona 1-1 at the Camp Nou to progress to the knockout stages.
Spurs’ achievement seemed improbable just a few weeks ago after they had taken just a single point from their opening three games. But then Spurs began their comeback with a win against PSV before a 1-0 win at home to Inter.
KANE INFLUENCE
Harry Kane was denied by the makeshift Barcelona defence when his header was cleared off the line. But he persevered and with time running out, his pinpoint cross found Moura whose first-time finish sealed
Spurs' qualification.
It set up a dramatic finale with Spurs players left to wait after the final whistle for the result to be confirmed between Inter and PSV. BARCELONA: Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino said his side completed “mission impossible” in the Champions League after they recovered from a nightmare start to qualify for the knockout stages with Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Barcelona.
Spurs were beaten 2-1 by Inter Milan in their first game, lost 4-2 to Barcelona in their second and threw away the lead to draw 2-2 at PSV Eindhoven in their third to leave them with only one point at the halfway stage of the group. Narrow home wins over the Dutch side and the Italians gave them a chance of going through, but their plight again looked bleak when Ousmane Dembele’s sensational individual goal put them on the back foot in the decisive game at the Nou Camp.
Yet Spurs seized their place in the next round thanks to Lucas Moura’s late leveller, sneaking above Inter, who could only draw 1-1 at home to PSV, due to a better head-to-head record.
“I’m so happy, so proud, I remember that after PSV no one believed in us, it was mission impossible, but we are here, we’re in the next round,” Pochettino said. “It’s a massive achievement for the club, we’re happy for the fans here and around the world, it’s a massive boost for the club and to be able to play in the knockout rounds next year in the new stadium is a massive motivation for us.”
Tottenham’s hopes of staying in Europe’s elite competition looked doomed when news filtered through of Mauro Icardi’s leveller for Inter. Pochettino said he and his players were caught in two minds about whether to try to hold on for the draw or seek a winner in case Inter got another goal in their game.
“It was difficult to manage the last 10 minutes. The players knew the result (score) of Inter but it is difficult to translate what to do to on the field,” he said.
“You have to score to win but if you concede and lose the game, maybe you talk in a different way afterwards.”
The coach also said reaching the last-16 from a group containing two giants of the competition was among his greatest achievements with Spurs since taking over the club in 2014. “It was so difficult to manage everything inside but we made a fantastic effort. To see and celebrate with everyone after four years and a half was great, it was the first time I felt something really special.”