Richard Dunne was full of praise for the Liverpool man following his 4-0 win over LASK on Thursday night and it looks like his Manchester United team-mate could learn a thing or two from the man.
Caoimhin Kelleher occupied a familiar position between the sticks on Europa League duty with the microscope firmly on him during Alison Becker’s injury and the 25-year-old rose to the occasion, keeping a clean sheet and scoring a vital second goal. . Save half.
Speaking to Virgin Media Sport, Dunne highlighted the contrasting fortunes of his compatriot and Andre Onana, who endured the Red Devils’ error-ridden Champions League performance the previous day.
The former Manchester City defender said of Kelleher [via Balls.ie]: “He seemed very comfortable with what he was doing. He seemed well trained and well prepared.
His position is good, he seems to be in the right place at the right time. “Through everything he’s been through, his movement and positioning has been really good.“[LASK] had a number of features.
Liverpool lost the ball in the 15th minute. Having a goalkeeper who can make these saves gives the defense more confidence.
“As we saw with Manchester United, suddenly after 15 minutes the panic subsided only when they conceded and attacked again. Liverpool held on for 15 minutes thanks to Caoimhin Kelleher’s performance.
“If there is no pass, hit it as far as possible in the middle of the field. Play as much football as possible, but without risk. It was like that again tonight.”
Liverpool were noticeably light in their 4-0 win over LASK, but Kelleher was no idle spectator at Anfield last night.
According to SofaScore, the 25-year-old made three saves, exceeded his xG figure of 1.25 and missed six shots for the Austrian visitors in the second half, saving particularly well against Ibrahim Mustafa and Robert Juli.
Onana fell short in United’s 3-3 draw with Galatasaray on Wednesday, despite standing when Ireland’s LASK questioned him. He committed two free-kick fouls and attempted a close-range header for Turkey to equalise.
Erik ten Hag’s side looked relaxed after taking a 3-1 lead early in the second half, but were unlucky to concede two goals in nine minutes and were on the brink of Champions League elimination.
It’s hard not to admire the contrast between Kelleher’s confidence-inspiring performance last night when Liverpool fell behind and Manchester United’s shaky display as they dropped two points in Turkey.
Reds fans will probably be smiling at the thought of our second-choice goalkeeper facing his first-choice team-mate at Old Trafford!
