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There was a grin from Virgil van Dijk before giving his assessment of Alisson’s contribution to Liverpool’s victory over Napoli. “He was there to do his job,” the defender said. Bear hugs and effusive praise could come from others. Van Dijk was, of course, correct, although a Liverpool goalkeeper doing his job so well, so consistently and so decisively feels a novelty in the context of Anfield’s recent history.

The Champions League group decider was Alisson’s 22nd appearance for Jürgen Klopp’s team following his £65m summer move from Roma. He had justified the expectation levels that soared with his signing long before Wednesday, when he earned Liverpool an extra £11m in Champions League revenue with the 92nd-minute block that secured victory and a return to the knockout phase.

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from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2RUJlO0