‘He deserves it’ – Jurgen Klopp praised the young Liverpool star for his performance against Chelsea
Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on Caoimhin Kelleher after goalkeeper heroes in Liverpool’s win Chelsea inside Carabao Cup final.
Liverpool won 11-10 on penalties after the two sides drew 0-0 in regulation time. Kelleher took precedence over Alisson at night and was called up several times to keep the Reds in the game. The Irishman made some incredible saves during the game, including an exceptional save from Romelu Lukaku in the 95th minute to keep the lead.
Speaking after the game, Klopp was full of praise for his reserve goalkeeper, and said he deserved to be selected after his outstanding performance. He say:
“Even in professional football there should be space for some emotions. Caoimhin Kelleher is a boy, playing in all competitions, what do I do? I am two things, a professional manager. and a man and a man wins. It’s great [his inclusion] pay off. He deserves it. At the training center we have a wall where all the goalkeepers rely on who has won something and Caoimhin being able to carry on – which is the right thing to do – is absolutely amazing. “
With Alisson one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Kelleher has endured tough games during his time at Liverpool. However, the backstop has been Klopp’s top choice in cup competitions.
Caoimhin Kelleher will go down in Liverpool folk history 🤩One of the all-time great performances by a goalkeeper in a final. https://t.co/bPHeKJ50Q
The German manager’s decision to capture the Irishman in a game of such magnitude has paid off, thanks to the 23-year-old’s performance against Chelsea tonight. The Red Devils will host Norwich City in the fifth round of the FA Cup in the middle of the week, with Kelleher likely to start.
‘It could be 5-5’ – Klopp in Liverpool’s clash with Chelsea
Despite the fact that neither side could find the net, Liverpool and Chelsea both fired in every situation throughout the game. If not for the performances of Kelleher and the Blues goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, both teams could have scored many goals tonight.
Klopp concedes that this is possible, but admits that winning under such circumstances makes Liverpool’s victory all the more sweet. He say:
“I’m glad everyone celebrated something like this. Chelsea are incredibly strong, we match. It’s the start, we’re not silly. We needed to get lucky – we did. got lucky, it could be 5-5.”
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