An emotional Alisson Becker fought back tears after the goalkeeper’s stoppage-time header clinched Liverpool’s dramatic 2-1 win at West Brom.
The Brazil international glanced Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner past Sam Johnstone at the death to score a shock goal that moved the Reds to within a point of fourth-placed Chelsea with two Premier League games left.
Alisson dedicated his goal to his father, Jose Agostinho Becker, who drowned near his home in Brazil in February.
“I hope he was there to see it with God on his side celebrating” ?
“I don’t know how to celebrate!” ?
A fantastic interview with Alisson, who dedicates his sensational last-minute goal to his father who passed away earlier this year ? pic.twitter.com/4w2HsbaO16
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 16, 2021
“I’m too emotional,” Alisson told Sky Sports. “This last month for everything that happened with me, with my family, but football is my life, the places, everything I remember as a human being.
“With my father, I hope he was here to see it, but I’m sure he was seeing, with God at his side, celebrating.”
Alisson, unable to return to Brazil following his father’s death due to the coronavirus pandemic, also said his goal was for his family and team-mates.
“What a fight,” Alisson said. “Sometimes we are fighting and fighting and things are just not happening like this afternoon here and just scoring this goal, I’m really happy to help them because we fight a lot together.
“We have a goal to achieve the Champions League because we won it once and everything started with the qualification, so I can’t be more happy than I am now.”
He joked it was the best goal he had scored, adding: “It was the perfect time. The cross was brilliant again. I just tried to put my head on the ball and I think it was one of the best goals I’ve scored!
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) May 16, 2021
“I’m really happy. I don’t have too many words, I just have to say thank you to the players because they fight a lot. We fight a lot.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he could not believe Alisson’s winner and that he had to check that he had seen it correctly.
“Unbelievable. Unbelievable header,” Klopp told Sky Sports. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Insane!
“It was good technique. I couldn’t be sure. I thought, ‘Is something wrong?’ You see it, but think that cannot be actual and you are more in shock for a second.
“I turned around and said, ‘Am I right? Did we score?’ It’s great for the boys. You saw their faces. So it means a lot to us obviously. We’re still in the race, that’s all we can do and it’s all about Wednesday (at Burnley).
“We need the same fight. West Brom fought with all they had, with proper professionalism and made it really difficult for us, but we did it.”
