Caoimhin Kelleher cements Liverpool legacy with all-timer performance in Carabao Cup final

Filling in for Alisson Becker might be the most difficult job in football. 

The Brazilian shot-stopper is comfortably the best in the world and the way Liverpool play means the former Roma man is called into action more often than people would like to admit.

Alisson is genuinely unbelievable between the sticks and he’s played a pivotal part in the club’s success under Jurgen Klopp. There’s a huge difference between what he does for Liverpool and what Ederson does for Manchester City. For example, the latter gatecrashes the best in the world conversation purely because he’s part of a successful team. Unlike his compatriot, he’s not necessarily there on merit.

Anyone coming in to cover for the 31-year-old pales in comparison. They’re unfairly judged on the standards he has set over the years.

Caoimhin Kelleher has found this out in recent times. The 25-year-old has conceded goals that Alisson would’ve prevented. Every goal is overly scrutinised. Because of this, he’s viewed as sub-par at times. The truth is that the Liverpool No. 1 has skewed the perception of goalkeepers. Nothing short of extraordinary now seems to suffice.

To get close to that, the performance needs to be special.

Kelleher’s Carabao Cup final showing was as good as anything Alisson has done for Liverpool. There’s nothing hyperbolic about that statement either.

The No. 62 kept yet another clean sheet in the final for the Reds as Jurgen Klopp added a second Carabao Cup to his trophy haul as Liverpool manager. Though Virgil van Dijk, the match winner,  was named as the Player of the Match and a number of outfield players made a case to rival the skipper as the MVP on the day, it really should’ve gone the way of Kelleher.

Van Dijk said as much in his post-match interview.

 He said: “He should have got it. I’m probably one of his biggest fans, I think.

“I have always said he is world class and he stepped up today, again. It’s good to see. He’s a good boy, good goalkeeper and that’s what we need at a club like Liverpool.”

It was quite revealing to see Van Dijk head straight to Kelleher as soon as the final whistle was blown on Sunday afternoon.

Klopp joined his captain in praising the goalkeeper, saying: "Caoimh was unbelievable. Such a mature performance. I say it often: we have the best goalkeeper in the world and the best Number two in the world. I’m so happy for him. Top game."

Kelleher made nine saves against Chelsea and most of them weren’t your routine, run-of-the-mill saves either.

The Blues, per FotMob, racked up an Expected Goals haul in their 1-0 defeat of 2.95. The fact Liverpool kept a clean sheet highlights just how incredible Kelleher was between the sticks.

It started early on in the game when he, somehow, kept Cole Palmer’s point-blank effort out just as it appeared as though the in-form forward was going to lash the ball into the net from close range.

He made a big save in the second half to deny Conor Gallagher when the Chelsea midfielder was in one-on-one. Kelleher was the picture of calmness when there was a game of pinball going on in the Liverpool area after a series of efforts by Mauricio Pochettino’s side. Despite the chaos that was going on, he was there to catch the ball and take the sting out of the moment when it mattered most.

The save from Palmer was right out of the catalogue of Alisson saves. As was the sprawling save to thwart Gallagher.

But by no means was this an Alisson tribute act. This was Kelleher at his brilliant best.

His use of the ball went under the radar too. He finished with a pass success rate of 74% having helped Liverpool avoid the Chelsea press on multiple occasions. This was an all-timer of a performance by Kelleher and he did it in a final with the Reds having to field a weakened XI.

Kelleher, who was the subject of a bid from Nottingham Forest in January, won’t ever be viewed as one of the best Liverpool goalkeepers ever but he’s undoubtedly the best-ever back-up shot-stopper in Reds history.

This performance cemented his legacy at the club.