It was the ultimate heist.
Liverpool claimed a 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Parc de Princes on Wednesday evening, scoring with their only shot on target. It arrived in the 87th minute after Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott, two substitutes, combined to give the Reds an undeserved victory.
Alisson Becker was the reason the Reds found themselves in a position to win the game.
The Brazilian shot-stopper put in a remarkable performance between the sticks to repel the hosts, time and time again.
His nine saves were the most by a Liverpool goalkeeper in a Champions League game since Opta started recording the data in 2003-04.
In fact, only two other goalkeepers in Champions League history have managed nine saves in a single game - Thibaut Courtois vs. Liverpool in the 2022 final and Andriy Lunin vs. RB Leipzig in February 2024.
The former Roma once managed 10 in a game during his time in Serie A in a match against Napoli.
The clean sheet against PSG now means he holds the record for Liverpool for most shutouts in this competition (22), taking him one clear of Pepe Reina.
Alisson is viewed as one of the best in the world by most, but even he acknowledged just how special his performance was against the Ligue 1 champions.
"It was probably the performance of my life," Alisson told TNT Sports. "The manager was telling us how hard it would be to play against PSG, how good they are with the ball and that we would have to be ready to suffer. We knew what was coming."
Arne Slot hasn’t been shy about heaping praise on his No1 this term. On multiple occasions, he’s called him the best in the world.
He was keen to get him back into his starting XI after he returned from injury, despite the impressive performances of Caoimhin Kelleher.
And last night, when speaking to TNT Sports, the Dutchman, once again, reiterated his belief that the 32-year-old is the best in his position.
“In the second half, they were still the better team, still had a lot of shots on target but they were mainly from outside the box. That’s why Alisson still had to make a lot of big saves. I have had some very good players as a manager but never the best goalkeeper in the world, until now.
“He showed that he is the best in the world today. To go away with a win here was probably a bit more than we deserved.”
Liverpool now take a 1-0 lead to Anfield for the second leg of their Champions League tie.
But what of Mamardashvili?
His Man of the Match performance arrived at an interesting time.
In the build-up to the game, there had been a lot of talk about Giorgi Mamardashvili. Reports in The Athletic recently claimed the Georgian sees himself as a starter next season.
The claim was that while the 24-year-old respects Alisson, he is gunning for a place in Slot’s starting XI.
Football Espana reported that the on-loan Valencia shot-stopper had been taking English lessons since signing with Liverpool and had already looked at living arrangements for his impending move to Merseyside.
His intentions are clear. He wants to be playing for the Reds next season.
Earlier this season, he was caught on camera speaking to former Manchester City winger Ferran Torres following a match between Barcelona and Valencia.
Torres was seen asking the 6ft6 goalkeeper why he didn’t move to Liverpool last year.
Mamardashvili gave a one word answer: “Alisson,” before covering his mouth.
A lot of people seemed to take this as a sign that, if he was heading to Anfield this summer, it was a sure sign that the Brazil No1 was leaving.
But this is where things become a little complicated. Alisson has a deal with Liverpool until 2027 and a recent report from Anfield Watch claimed the one-time Roma man was “very happy” at Anfield.
The way Slot speaks about the 32-year-old, you do have to assume the goalkeeper position at Anfield is his until he decides he’s going to call it a day with the club.
His injury issues don’t seem to be a concern for Liverpool. Over recent weeks, Virgil van Dijk has started taking goal kicks, almost as a way to protect the Brazilian from putting too much strain on that hamstring of his.
After all, if the Reds are putting these plans in place to alleviate the pressure and stress on Alisson, it is a sure sign that they expect him to stay.
Why wouldn’t Liverpool want the best goalkeeper in the world to remain at the club? He’s as much of a game-changer and a difference-maker as Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
Against PSG, he single-handedly kept the Reds in the game and gave them the chance to snatch a winner. It felt similar to his showing against Napoli during the 2018/19 campaign.
He makes that stunning save late on to ensure Liverpool progress out of the group and they go on to win the competition.
If Liverpool go on to lift ol’ big ears for a seventh time, the Alisson performance against PSG will be talked about as a key moment, again.
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