Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp lauds Alisson Becker for his “sensational” save in the Reds’ 1-0 Premier League win over Fulham at Anfield.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reserved special praise for goalkeeper Alisson Becker for his “sensational” late save in the Reds’ 1-0 victory over Fulham at Anfield.

Mohamed Salah’s penalty stretched Liverpool’s winning run in the Premier League to five matches, as the Egyptian crashed his spot kick down the middle of the goal after Issa Diop felled Darwin Nunez.

However, the Reds had to survive a couple of scares to get over the line, as Alisson was forced into a full-stretch save to deny Carlos Vinicius picking out the top corner in the first half.

Marco Silva’s side continued to make a game of it approaching the dying embers and had another gilt-edged chance through Vinicius, but the Brazilian’s low effort was kept out by his compatriot down low.

Alisson’s shut-out – his first since April’s goalless draw with Chelsea – was his 99th clean sheet in a Liverpool jersey, and he was hailed as the Reds’ most consistent performer by Klopp in his post-match press conference.

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“We then don’t close the game early and we have to fight until the end – and we needed Ali, obviously. The last situation I think it was a sensational save and he was really happy about the clean sheet more than anybody,” Klopp said.

“He was really touched that we got a clean sheet tonight, it’s that long ago. He kept a clean sheet for us, especially in that situation, there were a few others, but especially in that situation.

“So, yeah, he is for sure the most consistent player we have this season. That’s actually not bad news, it’s good news, because if we are not in a great shape and the level of the goalie drops as well then we would have been completely lost. So, that’s fine.”

Klopp elected to make three changes for the visit of the Cottagers, including a recall for Nunez over Cody Gakpo, but the Uruguayan’s performance received mixed reviews on the night.

However, having won the penalty – albeit a controversial one – Klopp affirmed that Nunez played a “good game” at Anfield, where he was a “proper option” for his teammates all evening.

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“Absolutely. I think for us it’s super-important. You could see in the beginning, defending the centre against Fulham is really important because Palhinha is there and that is their connector, get [him] on the ball,” Klopp responded when asked if he was satisfied with Nunez’s display.

“We were a bit too early out there from Darwin, we tried to fix that, but he wanted and he was like a race horse – go, go, go, go for everybody. We opened up and that’s where we struggle slightly, where they could control it for moments.

“We could sort that and apart from that he played a really good game, he was always a proper option for us and we needed that. One of the main things we had to do tonight was offer in behind, we had three really quick players there and I liked the situation pretty early in the game when Mo received the ball deep, chipped it in behind and Darwin can go there.

“I don’t know exactly what was the result of that, but maybe a corner, which is good as well. Yes, he played a good game.”

Liverpool remain fifth in the table thanks to Wednesday’s win, four points behind Manchester United having played two games more, and they return to Anfield for the visit of Brentford on Saturday.

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Manchester United have had a progressive season under manager Erik ten Hag and they are currently on course to qualify for the Champions League next term.

The Dutch tactician needs to be backed with a huge transfer budget this summer but as things stand, there is uncertainty with the ongoing takeover talk.

Amidst this, Liverpool and Real Madrid are already setting examples with their quick transfer moves.

Madrid have been long-term admirers of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and Marca claim that the player has already agreed a six-year deal in principle.

Furthermore, Dortmund are also willing to lower their price tag from €140 million to between €100-120 million and a transfer agreement could be reached this month.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have taken a step back for Bellingham after their average Premier League campaign that could see them miss out on Champions League football.

However, they are now progressing with talks to sign Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion.

As per Fabrizio Romano, the Merseyside outfit have already presented their project to the player’s camp and feel they can sort out a transfer with the Seagulls.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are very optimistic that they can convince the Argentine star in the next few weeks.

Judging from above, it is quite clear that Madrid and Liverpool are favourites to sign Bellingham and Mac Allister respectively ahead of the next transfer window.

In comparison, United have not engaged in advanced talks for any player thus far. The season has yet to conclude but they should be pro-active over transfer deals.

Liverpool and Madrid are planning well ahead of the summer while United are currently under a cloud of uncertainty over the ownership amid the Glazer’s stance.

Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have already proposed bids to takeover United but neither of them have met the Glazers’ asking price in the region of £6 billion.

This has prolonged the takeover talks for months. In our view, the Glazers must act fast. They either need to sell the club or opt for some kind of minority investment.

We would personally prefer the former to happen. Hopefully, there is more clarity over the transfer budget soon. Else, United could lose their main targets to rival clubs.