'Almost disrespectful': Steve McManaman makes huge claim about 'outstanding' star vs RB Leipzig

Liverpool extended their winning run to eight consecutive games following their victory over RB Leipzig in Germany on Wednesday night. The Reds returned to Champions League action and continued their perfect start to Arne Slot’s European portfolio in his new role.

Their latest win also marks the first time in Liverpool’s history that they have won their first six away games in a season.

Thanks to a first half goal from Darwin Núñez, Liverpool snatched all three points from the Bundesliga side. In the studio after the match, TNT Sport pundits Rio Ferdinand and Steve McManaman praised the Uruguayan for his solid performance but one man in particular stole the majority of the plaudits.

Caoimhin Kelleher once again stepped up in the absence of Alisson and put in a game-changing performance between the sticks. The 25-year-old pulled off six saves to deny Leipzig, including some top drawer stops in the second half to keep the clean sheet.

Kelleher’s solid displays are no longer surprises to those who watch him and McManaman believes that his quality doesn’t match up with the label of a second string goalkeeper.

“It shouldn’t be a surprise to us any more — he’s played in Cup finals and won Cup finals for Liverpool, saved penalties,” McManaman started. “He played more games than Alisson last year because of injury. He’s already going to do the same this year because of Alisson’s recurring hamstring injury. So the fact that he played well is not a surprise.

“This is what he does. It’s almost disrespectful saying he’s a No.2. Of course, he does play second in command to a fit Alisson but he’s played too many games now. He’s an outstanding goalkeeper, outstanding when called upon.”

Ferdinand echoed a similar sentiment to his fellow pundit stating: “Goalkeepers don’t come in often but when they do, you want them to come in and hit the ground running. They haven’t got time to get settled.

“I’ve thought, every time I’ve seen him, he done really, really well. Alisson’s got big shoes to fill — the consistency, the price tag that he comes with, confirmation of a world class goalkeeper.”

Liverpool will look to keep this streak going as they head into the weekend. A blockbuster clash with Arsenal awaits them on Sunday and it will give the Reds a huge chance to stretch the gap even further between them. The Gunners secured a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in their latest European outing, but they have some ground to make up in the Premier League after their shock 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.