Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admitted that his side were “very fortunate” to have goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher in top form as they narrowly defeated RB Leipzig 1-0 on Wednesday, Soccernet.football reports.
A first-half goal from Darwin Nunez secured victory for the Reds at the Red Bull Arena, extending their perfect record to three wins in this season’s Champions League.
Liverpool also set a new milestone by winning their first six away games of the season for the first time. Additionally, Slot became the first manager in English top-flight history to win 11 of his first 12 matches.
However, the Dutchman credited Kelleher, who stepped up in the absence of injured first-choice Alisson. Kelleher made six crucial saves to keep the hosts at bay, his joint-highest in a European match.
“Very fortunate,” Slot told TNT Sports when asked how crucial his goalkeeper was. “It’s also a normal thing at a club like ours that you have very good players in every position.
“Ali was out last season and [is] out again this season. It’s not only him. We have players who are not always in the starting line-up who [stepped up] again today.
“We’re really happy with the win. We played a difficult away game. We controlled the game in large parts – apart from the last few minutes. We needed Virgil [Van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate] and our goalkeeper.”
Slot and Liverpool now turn their attention onto Sunday’s trip to north London where Arsenal lay in wait. The Dutchman has warned his side against complacency when they square up with the Gunners.
“We know how tough Arsenal are, especially in their own stadium,” he added. “[Mikel] Arteta has done an amazing job in the last few years, and we have to be on top of our game to get a result.”