"He’s clearly an amazing teammate" - Kevin Campbell heaps praise on Liverpool star for incredible gesture during Carabao Cup final
Former Arsenal star Kevin Campbell has lauded Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker’s character, claiming that every team needs players like him in the dressing room.
Alisson, who has been Jurgen Klopp’s first-choice goalkeeper, did not feature in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea. Klopp decided to give the Brazilian's understudy Caoimhin Kelleher a shot and Alisson accepted his coach’s decision without any fuss.
Later, when Liverpool won the trophy, much to the courtesy of Kellher’s heroics, Alisson was pictured celebrating the cup title with the 23-year-old.
Alisson Becker invited a young Liverpool fan to lift the trophy with the team 🏆👏 https://t.co/L6SiE13Oxs
Campbell was left thoroughly impressed with Alisson’s selflessness, remarking that it was great to see the two goalkeepers celebrating together. Speaking to Football Insider, the former England international said:
“Jurgen Klopp would have spoken to him at the start of the season and said, ‘Look, Kelleher is going to play in the final and I’m sure he would have been fine with it, even though he would have wanted to play. It was great to see them both celebrating together at full time. You need characters like Alisson in your dressing room.”
Alisson was also seen consoling Thiago Alcantara after the midfielder picked up an injury during the warm-up ahead of the Carabao Cup final. Campbell heaped praise on the shot-stopper for his gesture, calling him an “amazing teammate” both on and off the pitch.
The football pundit added:
“He is also someone who knows how to test the temperature of players. We saw that with his handling of the Thiago situation pre-kick off. That is key. Thiago needed that. Fair play to Alisson for being the experienced character that was needed on the bench that day. He’s clearly an amazing teammate both on and off the field.”
The 29-year-old goalkeeper has been in impressive form for Liverpool this season. In 24 Premier League appearances, he has only conceded 18 goals, keeping 13 clean sheets.
Liverpool register convincing win over Norwich City in FA Cup
A couple of days after beating Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool welcomed Norwich City for their FA Cup fifth-round clash.
Jurgen Klopp made a plethora of changes to his playing XI, but still bagged a comfortable 2-1 win on the night.
The @EmiratesFACup #LIVNOR Player of the Match 🏆
👏 @takumina0116 👏 https://t.co/MrA55uQuPf
A superb first-half brace from Takumi Minamino gave the Reds a 2-0 lead in the cup game as Norwich struggled to maintain possession. The visitors improved a little in the second half and reduced the deficit through Lukas Rupp in the 76th minute.
Unfortunately, the Canaries didn’t have enough gas left in the tank to scare the Reds and eventually fell to a 2-1 defeat to crash out of the FA Cup.
The Merseysiders will now return to Premier League action with a mouth-watering clash against West Ham United on Saturday.