Arne Slot, manager of Liverpool looks on during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Brentford FC at Anfield on August 25, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he was fortunate to have Caoimhin Kelleher between the sticks to help his beat Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Reds ran out 3-0 winners at Anfield thanks to a Luis Diaz brace and a Darwin Nunez strike, all coming in the space of 11 first-half minutes.
However, the scoreline only tells half of the story, with Bournemouth matching Liverpool 19-19 for shots, while generating 1.08 xG.
But the Cherries just couldn’t find a breakthrough, thanks in large part to the efforts of Kelleher, who made no fewer than seven saves while standing in for the injured Alisson Becker.
Kelleher’s stop on the line in the final few minutes was particularly impressive and served as a reminder of the quality of the Republic of Ireland international, who may well leave Liverpool in the near future as he searches for a No.1 berth — especially with Giorgi Mamardashvili arriving from Valencia next summer.
KELLEHER WITH A BIG SAVE ?
pic.twitter.com/kwX1iHVQqa— Mohammed (@ZAJD011) September 21, 2024
Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth: Slot praises Kelleher performance
Speaking to reports after Saturday’s match, Slot expressed the importance of squad depth and was thankful to have someone of Kelleher’s quality to step in for Alisson.
“Yeah, but not only two goalkeepers, also two good wingers, left wingers, two good right wingers, two good strikers. That’s what you saw today. I just said about Cody, how good he was in San Siro, how good Lucho was now – and it’s the same with the goalkeepers,” Slot said (via Liverpool’s official website).
Of his 25-year-old goalkeeper, he added: “We needed our goalkeeper today more than in all the other matches we played before because, like I just said, Bournemouth got more chances than I am used to seeing the other teams getting against us in the first six games of the season.
“But it was a good thing that we had Caoimhin today because he made some really good saves – which Alisson [Becker] did in the other games as well, but he didn’t have to make that many as Caoimhin made today.”
Top photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
