'Turning point': Steve Nicol says someone other than Mo Salah provided Liverpool's biggest moment vs Brighton
11/02/2024 04:00 PM
Liverpool needed a couple of big second-half moments to turn Saturday’s game against Brighton around.
The Reds were woeful throughout the opening 45 minutes, serving up one of the worst halves of football seen under Arne Slot so far.
With Arsenal and Manchester City both losing, Liverpool knew they’d have to be better after the break to capitalise.
Thankfully, a lucky Cody Gakpo finish and an unbelievable strike from Mohamed Salah did the damage to Brighton. The Reds took the three points.
Despite Salah taking the plaudits, though, he was far from being the only Liverpool player to turn up on the day.
According to former Liverpool full-back Steve Nicol, the biggest moment of the game actually belonged to Caoimhin Kelleher.
Steve Nicol hails Caoimhin Kelleher ‘turning point’
Salah’s goal against Bart Verbruggen is certainly one that will live long in the memory.
Slot hailed the atmosphere at Anfield after the game and it was certainly rocking both before and after Mo smashed Liverpool in-front.
Had Kelleher not been on his game, though, Salah’s goal would have been an equaliser, not a winner.
The goalkeeper stood up firm to prevent Georginio Rutter putting Brighton 2-0 up just before half-time.
READ MORE: Ray Houghton singles out ‘exceptional’ Liverpool player after Reds beat Brighton
And according to Liverpool legend Nicol, Kelleher’s one-on-one save was the game’s most important moment.
“If there was one moment in the game that I would suggest was the complete turning point, or turning point’s maybe the wrong word but I think really matters the most, is the save Kelleher made,” Nicol told ESPN FC.
“I think the save Kelleher made just before half-time that would have put Brighton 2-0 up, that might have suppressed what we saw in the second-half from Liverpool. So, I think that’s an important point in the game.”
Caoimhin Kelleher deserves plaudits again
Liverpool’s win over Brighton on Wednesday signalled that the Reds have another top class goalkeeper coming through in Vitezslav Jaros.
But with Kelleher restored for Premier League duties, the 25-year-old underlined his qualities once again.
It was not a perfect performance from Caoimhin, with one or two uncharacteristically shaky moments with the ball at his feet.
However, as Nicol says, the Ireland international did still come up trumps with an incredibly important stop.
It looked for all the world as though Rutter was about to put Brighton 2-0 up after running away from Virgil van Dijk. But there was Kelleher to make himself big, keep the ball out and set Liverpool back on the way to three points. Absolutely crucial.
