Alisson celebrates his perfect display against PSG
Alisson celebrates his perfect display against PSG
Jubilant Liverpool fans celebrated Alisson’s heroics against Paris St Germain, posting his face on the ‘Christ the Redemeer’ statue on Corcovado mountain in his native Brazil with the words ‘Alisson saves’.
He did that nine times against PSG to deliver what he hailed as the performance of his life. It was a 10 out of 10 display and not only did he deny PSG repeatedly, he dominated his box, exuding calm on a fraught night for Liverpool.
In many respects it is a question without answer, but is Alisson Liverpool’s greatest-ever goalkeeper? The first contender, Elisha Scott, starred for Liverpool over 100 years ago and made 467 appearances for the Reds between 1912 and 1934.
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Born in Belfast, Scott was initially overlooked because he was only 5ft 9ins tall, but Liverpool did not hesitate to snap him up and he helped them to two titles. One fan was so enthused by Scott’s 30-yard save against Blackburn in 1924 that he ran onto the pitch and kissed him.
A contemporary newspaper report said he had the agility of a “panther” and the “eye of an eagle”. Scott died in in 1959 when Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield and his first great goalkeeper was Tommy Lawrence.
The Scot was not flashy and did the simple things well. Lawrence conceded just 24 goals in the 1968-69 season, then a record, and helped Liverpool to two titles and their historic first FA Cup.
He made way for Ray Clemence, Alisson’s main rival in the battle to be Liverpool’s No 1 No 1. Clemence, signed for just £15,000 from Scunthorpe, was a key figure in Liverpool’s glory run from the early 70s until his departure in 1981.
Ray Clemence
Liverpool legend Ray Clemence ( Image: Getty Images)
He equalled and then beat Lawrence’s record of fewest goals conceded and was beaten just 16 times in 1978-79. That’s just bonkers and don’t forget that was in a 42-league game season.
He boasted more silverware than the Antiques Roadshow and won three European Cups, five titles, two UEFA Cups, one FA Cup and one League Cup. Clemence was succeeded by Bruce Grobbelaar who was wrongly dismissed as a clown because of his acrobatics in goal.
The larger-than-life Grobbelaar was a born entertainer and amassed one European Cup, six league titles, three FA Cups and three League Cups. His finest moment was his spaghetti legs in the penalty shoot-out for the 1984 European Cup Final when he compounded Roma’s nerves as they completely bottled it in front of their home fans.
Liverpool struggled after Grobbelaar left in 1994 and did not have a proper goalkeeper until Pepe Reina arrived in 2005. Reina won three consecutive Golden Gloves in his first three seasons at Anfield for most clean sheets in the Premier League.
Bruce Grobbelaar (R) celebrates winning the 1984 European Cup with Liverpool
His best moment for Liverpool came in the 2006 FA Cup Final when he saved three of his four spot-kicks in the penalty shoot-out to secure victory over West Ham. Reina was also the fastest Liverpool goalkeeper to register 50 and then 100 clean sheets.
Alisson was one of the final pieces in Jurgen Klopp’s jigsaw when he arrived in 2018 and he has been part of the spine of the team with Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson (now Alexis MacAllister) and Mohamed Salah. He’s won the Champions League, Premier League, helped Liverpool conquer the world.
And now Arne Slot’s Liverpool are threatening to do it all again. Is he better than Clemence? The fans can decide.
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