Among other accomplishments, Mohamed Salah's 100th goal at Anfield made headlines, but Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk thinks goalkeeper Alisson Becker is deserving of comparable attention.
The Reds maintained their improbable push for the Champions League with a sixth straight Premier League victory thanks to Salah's lone goal, but the 1-0 triumph was only made possible when Alisson recorded his 100th consecutive shutout.
Even with Salah scoring 30 goals for the season for the fourth time in six years during a poor campaign, Alisson has been the club's most reliable player.
Van Dijk is aware of this because he himself has experienced the hardships that have afflicted the entire side.
Many players, especially goalkeepers, look up to him. We've had great success, and I'm pleased he's my goalie," the captain of the Netherlands remarked.
"Obviously, his skills are there for anyone to see on the field - his contribution, the saves, the leadership, all of which are very important - but off the field, his qualities are just as significant.He is a huge, huge leader in the team, and many guys look up to him.
Obviously, reaching 100 clean sheets is a major accomplishment for him, and hopefully there will be many more.
For the first time in two months—since they had three straight—and just the fifth time all season, Liverpool achieved back-to-back Premier League clean sheets. The Reds are in negotiations with former Wolfsburg sports director Jorg Schmadtke to succeed leaving Julian Ward.
Alisson's performances, which have been generally better than those of the rest of the team overall, have not been the main cause of that dismal record, but rather how the team defends.
Van Dijk acknowledges these shortcomings but thinks they have begun to work through them.
"He is the one who has the highest risk factor in the team as well, if he makes a mistake then it's a goal," he continued.
"It's the complete sensation of working together that we feel we have. That is the foundation.He would likely claim that this (100 clean sheets) would not be possible without the players in front of him, as well as the midfielders and strikers working hard. He should be proud of it because everyone contributed to it.
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