Asmir Begovic has hinted that Caoimhin Kelleher was better than Virgil van Dijk in Liverpool’s League Cup final win against Chelsea yesterday.
The Republic of Ireland international enjoyed arguably his best performance to date between the sticks for Liverpool as Kelleher made an incredible nine saves to deny Chelsea from winning at Wembley.
With Van Dijk scoring a late winner and keeping a clean sheet, the Dutch international has, rightly, claimed most of the plaudits after Liverpool’s win, yet pundit Begovic has someone else in mind.
Speaking on Football Daily, Begovic was full of praise for Kelleher, with the former Chelsea keeper saying: “The boys put on a show, especially Kelleher, I think some of his saves to keep Liverpool in the game throughout it were incredible.
“I think he’s obviously shown his qualities throughout the last two or three seasons whenever he’s had a chance to play.
“Obviously, the other goalkeeper at Liverpool is probably the world’s best in Alisson, so his opportunities don’t come around as much as he would like them to, but obviously he played an absolutely massive part.
“Fair play to him, I think he was arguably man of the match. Obviously, Van Dijk will get the plaudits for scoring the winning goal but Kelleher for me put on a massive show and showed his qualities once again.”
Van Dijk’s late heroics saw the Liverpool captain showered with praise, with the likes of Jordan Henderson already sending messages to the defender on Instagram.
Yet for those who watched the game, it’s clear that Kelleher was the real Man of the Match for Liverpool, with the 25-year-old playing like a man on a mission.
The Irish international once again showed why he is arguably the best backup goalkeeper in the Premier League and ready for the next step in his career, and Kelleher has now made himself an alluring option for clubs heading into the summer.
