Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker scored a dramatic goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to earn a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League, keeping alive his team’s realistic chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
Key points:
- Alisson became the first Liverpool goalkeeper to ever score a competitive goal, and the sixth in Premier League history
- His stoppage-time winner came after Mohammed Salah cancelled out Hal Robson-Kanu’s opener
- Liverpool is in fifth, only a point outside the Champions League places with two winnable games remaining
Alisson came up for a corner and, unmarked, glanced home a header from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross before getting mobbed by teammates.
The Brazil international is the sixth goalkeeper to have scored a goal in Premier League history, the first with a header. None of the previous five was a winning goal.
No Liverpool goalkeeper had previously scored a competitive goal.
“I saw it coming — I just tried to be in a good position to try to help my team,” Alisson said.
“Nobody follows me. I was lucky and blessed. Nobody can explain these types of things.”
The 28-year-old Alisson said it was the first time in his career that he had scored a goal.
It was delivered with perfect technique, too.
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“What a goal, what a worldie, an unbelievable goal,” Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said.
“It couldn’t have been a better moment, it’s just perfect for today. If he is never doing it again, I’m fine. It’s a perfect moment.”
Mohamed Salah’s 33rd-minute goal for Liverpool — his 22nd of the campaign, tying for the most with Tottenham’s Harry Kane — had cancelled out the opener by Hal Robson-Kanu in the 15th at The Hawthorns.
Liverpool is in fifth place on 63 points, with games remaining against Burnley and Crystal Palace. Fourth-place Chelsea has 64 points and third-place Leicester has 66, and both also have two games left.
Leicester and Chelsea meet on Tuesday, so one of them — if not both — will drop points.
Chelsea finishes the season away to Aston Villa and Leicester hosts Tottenham.
AP