Liverpool supporters have lavished praise on Caoimhin Kelleher following his great display in his team’s recent 5-1 UEFA Europa League last-16 first leg win at Sparta Prague.
Earlier this Thursday (March 7), the Reds defeated the Czech First League leaders ahead of the return leg at Anfield next week. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring with a penalty while Darwin Nunez scored a first half brace.
Luis Diaz and Dominik Szoboszlai both bagged a goal each after Conor Bradley’s unfortunate 46th-minute own goal.
Kelleher, who has been deputizing for the injured Alisson Becker for the past three weeks, produced an assuring outing at the epet Arena. The 25-year-old registered six saves and completed 28 of 42 passes.
Lauding the Irishman’s performance, a Liverpool fan wrote on X:
“Also, Kelleher once again proving his worth again and again, made major saves in first 45.”
Another Reds fan account on the social media platform posted:
“Stepped up massively! He’s taken himself to a new level during this run!”
So far this campaign, Kelleher has made 19 appearances across competitions for Liverpool. He has overseen five shutouts, including one in the 2024 EFL Cup final, and has shipped 19 goals for the Anfield club.
Jurgen Klopp lauds Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez after his brace in recent 5-1 triumph
At a post-match press conference, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on Darwin Nunez for his latest performance. Claiming that the striker has settled in his team, he said (liverpoolfc.com):
“He had an absolutely more-than-OK first season but he had to adapt, that’s done, [he is] settled in the middle of the team. [He is a] wonderful boy, loves to play for this team and this club together with these boys. He has quality coming out of his ears, to be honest.”
Suggesting that Nunez could still grow as a player, Klopp concluded:
“But it’s like strikers are: sometimes they score, sometimes they don’t score. Is he already at his absolute peak in general? Not now for us, and can he develop? Yes. Is he a threat all the time? Yes, as well. And he has the most important attitude a striker needs to have – he misses chances but he is not really bothered by it. He just keeps going and that is why he has a nice number of goals.”
During his 51 minutes on the pitch at Sparta Prague, the Uruguayan completed 10 of 13 passes and one of one dribble, and won two of four duels. He registered two of his three shots on target at the epet Arena.
Nunez, who arrived from Benfica in a potential £85 million deal in 2022, has netted 16 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 games across competitions this season. He has been in exceptional form in 2024, registering eight goals and four assists in 12 club matches so far.
