Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson, stole the show not as a man between the sticks but as a man who decided to be part of the action up front.
On Sunday, May 16, 2021, Liverpool visited the Hawthorns to play their 36th Premier League game which was against West Brom. Just as how most parts of the season have been for them, they struggled to earn a very important three points.
In the dramatic game, West Brom scored the first goal of the match in the 15th minute through the boots of Hal Robson-Kanu. Liverpool equalized thanks to Mohamed Salah’s 33rd-minute strike.
Afterward, both West Brom and Liverpool were not able to score until after regular time. Towards the 95th minute mark of the game, Liverpool had a corner kick. Alisson decided to take a risk by running to the opposition’s box-eighteen since the club’s forwards – Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah failed to score the needed winning goal.
Football eh. 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 16, 2021
Experience 5 minutes 33 seconds of unbridled joy with every angle of @Alissonbecker‘s goal… pic.twitter.com/QlgWJQ9QcA
Fortunately for Alisson, he was able to position himself well enough to connect to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross and headed home Liverpool’s winning goal in the 95th minute of the match.
As it stands, the goal has made him the first goalkeeper in the Premier League to score with his head. It has also made him the first goalkeeper in the league to score a winning goal. More so, he is the first goalkeeper in Liverpool to score a goal during a professional game.
Alisson said: “I tried to look at the bench and nobody called me. And then I was called [by Liverpool’s goalkeeping coach] with conviction.
“I saw it coming and I just tried to run into a good place and to be in a good position. The ball in was brilliant and I just tried to put my head on the ball.
“Nobody followed me. I am lucky and blessed. Some things you can’t explain. You can’t explain a lot of things in my life, the only reason is God and he put his hand on my head today and I’m feeling very blessed.
“The celebration? I don’t know how to celebrate!
“Hopefully I don’t have to come up too many times to score goals.”
The injury-time goal Alisson scored has taken Liverpool closer to the top four. They now have 63 points in 36 games, a point behind 4th placed Chelsea.
On the goal the goalkeeper scored for Liverpool and the chance Liverpool still have to make it into the top four with two games left to play, the manager of the club, Jurgen Klopp said: “Unbelievable. I’ve never seen anything like that. Insane technique!
“Nowadays you can’t be sure, really. ‘Is something wrong? It cannot be?’ So I turned around to ask, ‘Am I right, did he score?’ And you saw the faces of the boys. It means a lot to us, obviously.
“We are still in the race. But Wednesday [when Liverpool play Burnley away] will be the same fight.
“I have to say ‘chapeau’ [take my hat off], West Brom fought with all they had, proper professionalism, and made it really difficult for us but we did it.”
Alisson dedicated his record-making goal to his late father José Agostinho Becker
Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson Becker dedicated his injury-time goal to his late father José Agostinho Becker who died earlier this season.
Recall that Alisson’s father was said to be swimming in a lake located at his holiday home in the southern region of Brazil when he drowned to death in February this year.
After his match-winning goal against West Brom on Sunday, Alisson said: “Football is my life. I hope my father was there to see it with God on his side celebrating.”
