Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson claims hard work is the only “secret” behind his penalty save which brought an impressive run of spot-kick successes for Chelsea midfielder Jorginho to a close.
The Blues endured an afternoon to forget at Stamford Bridge when playing host to the defending Premier League champions.
Andreas Christensen collected a costly red card, Kepa Arrizabalaga made another high-profile mistake that allowed Sadio Mane to grab his second goal of the game and Jorginho fluffed his lines from 12 yards.
Alisson’s efforts between the sticks saw Liverpool to another clean sheet, with the Brazilian delighted to see his studying pay off.
The South American is not one to rest on his laurels, with continuous improvement sought, and has become the first man to deny Jorginho from the spot in English football, with the Italy international having converted eight previous efforts.
“I think in the Premier League this was the third penalty I had the chance to try to save,” Alisson told Liverpool’s official website.
“I’m really happy because in the Community Shield we lost on penalties. When the goalie doesn’t save any penalties you stay a little bit down and then you think, ‘I could do more, I could do it differently.’
“But the secret is to keep on going, to know that you are in a good direction, in the right direction, working hard and we did it together – me, John [Achterberg], Jack [Robinson], and all the video team who help us a lot.
“Also with the rebound, Millie [James Milner] and Virg [van Dijk] did really well and I think they showed confidence in me that I would save the penalty.
“But we don’t need to talk about the penalty or other saves, we need to talk about the team, how we played so good here. And we have also many things to improve for the rest of the season.”
Liverpool are moving through the gears as a collective once again, having captured a first top-flight crown in 30 years last season, with Jurgen Klopp able to bring the best out of those at his disposal.
He used another Brazilian, Fabinho, as a centre-half at Chelsea, as midfield plans were tinkered with and Thiago Alcantara was welcomed into the fold, and saw the versatile South American put in a commanding display.
“He was a monster! Unbelievable, but it’s what I expect of him,” Alisson said of his fellow countryman.
“If it’s a surprise for you I would be surprised, because he is a top player. Anywhere he played, from number six or centre-back, he always does his best and his quality permits him to play in different positions.
“He’s a really smart player on movements and also one-v-ones. That was needed against [Timo] Werner, against [Kai] Havertz and the other players with really good quality, so I congratulate him as he was in my opinion man of the match.”
Liverpool will be back in action on Thursday when taking in a Carabao Cup third-round clash with Lincoln.