'We need them' - Alisson discusses Anfield crowd impact

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has highlighted the significance of the Anfield crowd following the Reds' goalless draw with Manchester United.

It was a testing afternoon for Liverpool players and supporters on Sunday, the Reds struggling to break down Man Utd's low block. In the end, all they could manage was a point, a result that sees them drop to second in the Premier League table.

Despite Liverpool playing in front of their biggest home crowd since 1963, with just over 57,000 fans inside Anfield at the weekend, there had been some criticism of the atmosphere at the stadium for the visit of bitter rivals Man Utd.

After a cacophonous opening ten minutes or so, Liverpool's underwhelming performance on the pitch undoubtedly had an impact on the atmosphere at Anfield, with nerves jangling as the game wore on.

Alisson was sure to praise the impact of the Liverpool supporters after the match and admitted that it's up to the players to help spark the crowd into life.

"The supporters are massive, they always make the difference," the 31-year-old said. "I said before already one of the reasons that I came here was because of that, because the atmosphere here at Anfield when I played against Liverpool was amazing.

"We are going to need them for the rest of the season and we need them for the next two games that we have at home. We have to make this our fortress and the place that nobody can beat us.

"But we players play a big, big part on this to give a good feeling for the supporters: playing well, playing in a consistent way so they will follow us."

Gary Neville, who was on commentary for Sky Sports, seemed insistent on drumming home the lack of atmosphere inside Anfield, with Jamie Carragher admitting that it was somewhat subdued.

However, the players gave the fans very little to cheer about on the pitch, unable to create a moment of magic that would raise the decibels.

Jurgen Klopp will hope that there is more for his side and the supporters inside Anfield to cheer about on Wednesday evening in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.