Alisson Becker breaks silence on furious bust-up with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson in 0-0 Chelsea draw
Alisson Becker and Jordan Henderson were involved in a heated bust-up during Liverpool's 0-0 draw against Chelsea.
The Brazilian and the Englishman squared up to each other in the 77th minute after the ball went out of play following an attempt from Chelsea's Joao Felix. Things calmed down within seconds but it was clear the two had exchanged a heated conversation about something.
Henderson was seen talking to Alisson in a much more relaxed manner after the full-time whistle and the two embraced each other before exiting the pitch. It wasn't entirely clear who started the initial argument, but it seemed like Henderson was disappointed with the goalkeeper's involvement in Felix's goal-scoring chance.
A lofted ball into the Reds' box was cleared by Joel Matip in an unconvincing manner, which led to the Portugal international having a shot. Alisson seemed to have committed himself to contesting the initial ball but backed off to let Matip deal with it.
The former AS Roma goalkeeper has now shed light on the argument with the Liverpool captain. He said after the game (h/t @LFCTransferRoom):
"Henderson and I are two people who fight, who give their lives for their team. And on the field there is no way to ask 'please'. So sometimes it seems like tempers are running high, but we are two people trying to fix it, make things the best way for the team and try to help."
Despite Liverpool's poor performances this season, Alisson has consistently been one of their best players. Henderson, meanwhile, was slammed by Reds fans after the game against Chelsea for his insipid performance.
Klopp optimistic about Liverpool's chances against Arsenal
Jurgen Klopp is hoping that Liverpool's surprisingly good home record will continue against this season's Premier League pace-setters Arsenal on April 9.
Despite being eighth in the table after 28 games and being eliminated from all cup competitions, the Reds have lost just twice at Anfield across competitions this term. However, they have won just six games out of 22 away from home during that time.
Speaking after the game in west London, the former Borussia Dortmund manager said (h/t Metro):
"...It is a home game and our home record is not as bad as the away record. It means I am really looking forward to this game now because tonight I saw a step and that’s what I wanted.
Klopp added:
‘Now let’s carry on. Anfield is waiting for us and we want to deliver. We have another 10 games to play and the next one is Arsenal. Not the other nine, I am not interested in [those games]."
Arsenal have not beaten Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League since September 2012.