"Hero" - Jurgen Klopp praises Caoimhin Kelleher's League Cup final performance

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has praised goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher for his performance during the League Cup final yesterday.

Kelleher, who has been the club's first-choice shot-stopper throughout the League Cup this season, started ahead of Alisson against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. Kelleher certainly delivered against the Blues.

The match went all the way to penalties. Kelleher helped Liverpool secure a clean sheet (0-0 after extra-time) across 120 minutes of football and he scored the winning penalty.

The Reds ended up defeating Chelsea 11-10 on penalties. Klopp hailed the shot-stopper once the game had concluded.

As quoted by Anfield Watch's Twitter account, the 54-year-old told Viaplay the following: "We have the best No.2 in the world with Caoimhin Kelleher. There must be space for sentiment. He was the hero tonight. We all won this together. It feels really massive and I am over the moon."

Anfield Watch Verdict

It was brilliant to see Kelleher deliver in a tense situation. The 23-year-old showed against Chelsea that he has the ability to stand up when it matters most.

Kelleher ended up registering a WhoScored player rating of 6.72 for his performance against the Blues, which further highlights that he was solid right throughout the match.

We completely agree with Klopp that Kelleher is a superb No.2. The fact that the German could rely on the Irishman in a huge game backs up the aforementioned argument. Kelleher clearly has a bright future in the game.

Hopefully one day we see the 23-year-old replace Alisson. Of course, the Brazil international's career is far from over. Alisson is only 29 years of age. He is also contracted until June 2027.

But, hopefully the club can eventually find a way to transition Alisson out of the first-team and replace him with Kelleher.

Only time will tell if that is to be the case. For the time being, Kelleher should sit back and enjoy winning the League Cup.