Klopp hails Alisson winner but calls for Liverpool ‘professionalism’ in top-four race

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Jurgen Klopp was left in awe of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson after he scored the winning goal against West Brom this past Sunday.

The Brazil international headed in a corner in the 95th minute to make it 2-1 at the Hawthorns to keep his side’s hopes alive of securing a place in the Champions League.

Alisson is the first goalkeeper to net a competitive goal for the Reds and Klopp was stunned by the way he popped up to make the difference in the crucial match.

Speaking after the match, the Liverpool boss was full of praise for his keeper after the highlight of the season so far.

‘Wow, is a pretty good word. It was spectacular and a good game,’ he told BBC Sport. ‘What a moment! That is so far the highlight. I hope we have time for another highlight [this season]. It was a tricky game. Winning that way is really special. I couldn’t be happier in the moment.

‘It’s the best goal I’ve ever seen scored by a goalkeeper! Strikers score like that. If Olivier Giroud scores like that you say it’s a worldie. It’s a worldie! Wow!

‘[Alisson’s] our player, our boy and our brother. When he is suffering we are all suffering. It’s hard in these moments. There are more important things than football but when football can deliver moments like this for him, and all the boys, and our fans, then football is the best thing for a few seconds than anything else out there.’

He added to Sky Sports: ‘It’s an unbelievable header, I’ve never seen anything like that, good technique. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing.’

Liverpool are in fifth place and a point behind Chelsea with two games left to play. The Anfield side, who are now on a three-game winning streak, visit Burnley on Wednesday before they finish off the campaign next Sunday when they host Crystal Palace.

‘We are not even halfway through. We have to win going to Turf Moor. We have to win. There will be a proper atmosphere and will not be a friendly game,’ Klopp said as his side look to maintain their fight for a spot in the group stage of next season’s Champions League.

‘West Brom fought really hard. I heard Sam Allardyce asked for professionalism before the game and he got that proper answer. In the situation we are in the only thing we have to do is keep pressure on our competitors around us. We recover and go again.

‘I saw it plenty of times that players lose the plot [late on in games]. None of us did that. We were calm but full of desire. Three of the best chances we had were in the last five minutes. In these moments it was really good. It’s not easy to stay calm in moments like this but we did and we got the rewards.’