Liverpool beat Ajax 1-0 on Tuesday night, getting back to winning ways in the Champions League with a narrow victory.
The Reds were beaten 2-0 by Atalanta last time out, and needed to get back on track against the Dutch giants.
It wasn’t exactly vintage Liverpool, but they grabbed the win as Curtis Jones prodded home from a tight angle, capitalising on Andre Onana’s error.
One of the big storylines from the game surrounded the performance of goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, who was given a surprise start at Anfield.
Alisson was out with a small injury, and rather than go with the experienced Adrian, Klopp gave a chance to Kelleher – and he justified the decision.
Kelleher made a couple of fine saves from Noussair Mazraoui, before making a match-winning stop to deny a close-range header from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Kelleher could now emerge as Liverpool’s second-choice stopper, and his step up comes mere weeks after he suggested he wanted to leave Anfield.
The goalkeeper told Irish News in November that he wanted to leave Liverpool on loan, eyeing up a January move in search of first-team football.
He even admitted that a move to Holland fell through because of Alisson’s previous injury, as Liverpool needed to keep him as backup to Adrian.
Now, a January move seems a world away for Kelleher, as he has received what he wanted – playing time. Yes, it’s only one game, but Klopp putting faith in him for such a huge clash is a major sign of how he’s regarded at Anfield.
Liverpool will feel they made the right decision in keeping hold of the 22-year-old, and Kelleher himself will feel it’s a real sliding doors moment for him; a moment of good fortune as he finally received his big chance for Liverpool having been eyeing up a move next month.
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