ReactionAlisson Becker interview: Saves, West Ham win and why Liverpool must focus and fight
Alisson Becker produced another goalkeeping masterclass on his return to Liverpool’s team and then modestly declared: “It’s part of my job.”
After missing the Reds’ last two matches due to concussion protocols, Alisson was back on Sunday afternoon and was key to the Reds’ dramatic 2-1 win over West Ham United at Anfield.
The No.1 made several crucial saves before Virgil van Dijk’s 89th-minute header – which arrived soon after the Hammers equalised via Andy Robertson’s unfortunate own goal – earned a victory that moved Arne Slot’s side 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League with just six games left to play.
Post-match, Alisson told Liverpoolfc.com: “It’s part of my job… I’m pleased to come back and to deliver to the team a good performance, helping the team with the three points.
“Unfortunately no clean sheet this afternoon but all that matters is the three points and I’m so glad of it.
“I am always frustrated when I cannot be involved in the games and this season it happened a few times. But this is part of our profession as well – part of being a footballer is dealing with these upsets, these situations with injuries, and I’m so happy to be back to help the team and to enjoy playing is what I love to do.”
Liverpool dominated the first half of Sunday’s match and deservedly led at the break through Luis Diaz’s opener, though Alisson was required to twice deny Carlos Soler in impressive fashion.
But nerves set in after half-time and, after Alisson had brilliantly thwarted Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus, West Ham levelled when Van Dijk accidentally played the ball off Robertson’s shin and into the bottom corner.
However, the Reds’ response was immediate and emphatic as the captain powered in Alexis Mac Allister’s corner in front of the Kop.
Alisson said: “We started the game really well. I think the biggest part of the game we played well, even defending, even if they had chances. But in the Premier League if you play not well for 20 minutes you can get punished, maybe even in one minute you can get punished.
“The place West Ham are in the table doesn’t say anything about their quality, their team. They are so strong, so good, so many good players and they create chaos in the midfield, up front and in the last line it is difficult to defend. But I’m so glad that we could get the result and it brings us closer to our main goal this season.
“It’s really disappointing when you concede a goal like that. We know our responsibility on the goal – sometimes you have to clap hands to the opponent because they deserve it for the way they play but it was really poor for us for 15, 20 minutes defensive-wise, giving too much space.
“Then we have to highlight the energy, the intensity we put in at the end of the match after conceding the goal to get the winner at the last minutes and keep defending, keep the result.
“Football is about that as well – not always you are going to have a clear performance, a clear game. You have to deal with that and this makes us strong as well.”
Slot’s team now require two more wins to be mathematically certain of becoming champions, although three points at Leicester City next Sunday would be enough if Arsenal were to lose at Ipswich Town earlier in the day.
Alisson added: “I think to this point we always come here to speak with you guys, with the media, and we say, ‘OK, we have to focus for the next challenge and don’t think too much about the points [or] the advantage,’ because it is what we believe is the right thing to do.
“Not only to show that we are humble or anything like that [but] because it’s what you need to do, you need to focus on the next challenge in front of you otherwise you don’t move forward.
“But now it’s getting really close we are at the point we cannot avoid anymore to talk about this and we just have to show the right attitude in front of the fans in the games we have to play… working hard, fighting so hard for the whole game and really showing that we want to win this competition so hard.
“It’s what we did for the whole season and it’s what we have to keep doing – and I believe it’s what we are going to do for the next games.”
