In the narrow victory over Manchester City, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker provided the important assist. Curious: He does that – surprisingly regularly for a keeper.
To put it mildly: It is not exactly common for a goalkeeper to secure a direct assist.
All the more impressive that Alisson Becker achieved exactly that on Sunday evening. He was the decisive point in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Manchester City as Mohamed Salah scored the winning goal.
Even before the keeper had caught the ball flying in the air, the offensive player was already running towards the opposing half in a full sprint. A scheme that is not exactly unknown. Becker knew and saw Salah’s plan and managed to shoot the ball right to his teammate. A skillful shield from Joao Cancelo put the Egyptian free in front of goal where he scored the goal.
The goal from Salah and the assist accordingly from the goalkeeper. And that again!
On Twitter, Duncan Alexander (including The Analyst) pointed out that Becker has already made a pattern: In three of his last four seasons he was able to deliver a direct assist. In the one remaining season he even scored a goal himself.
He appropriately dubbed the LFC goalkeeper an “offensive threat”. He is also the second most goalkeeper in the Premier League with a goal involvement. Only Paul Robinson, who was primarily active in England for Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur (1998 to 2008), still stands before him.
It is a statistic that is as impressive as it is curious, in which Becker has long since made a name for himself. It wouldn’t be surprising if it wasn’t his last entry.
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Goalkeeper Threat: The Alisson Incredible Stat.
