Jurgen Klopp hailed "incredible" Caoimhin Kelleher for proving the decision to start him in Liverpool's Carabao Cup final win over Chelsea right.
Some eyebrows were raised last month when the Reds manager initially indicated that deputy goalkeeper Kelleher would be starting at Wembley ahead of usual first choice Alisson Becker.
Klopp doubled down on his selection comments earlier this week before the Irishman made a handful of superb saves to keep out Chelsea as the Reds won a dramatic penalty shootout 11-10.
The decisive miss came from Kelleher's counterpart Kepa Arrizabalaga, who replaced Chelsea's first-choice 'keeper Edouard Mendy specifically for the shootout at Wembley.
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Kelleher scored from the spot himself to help Liverpool to a ninth League Cup success and Klopp gave full credit to the 23-year-old for rewarding the faith shown in him by the coaching staff.
"I don't know exactly when I saw Caoimh for the first time, but it's quite the journey," Klopp said. "From when I saw him for the first time, he was a boy and he is a man today.
"I saw from the first second that he is an incredible talent and then John Achterberg and Jack Robinson (Liverpool's goalkeeper coaches), they are very positive about him.
"And if you know how a football team works, you know that goalkeepers are very often separate so I don't see them all the time.
"I see them in decisive moments and the development is absolutely top class but Alisson Becker is the best goalkeeper in the world for me.
"There are top goalies out there but this keeper (Alisson) is insane.
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"But to be 100 per cent honest, for me, Kelleher is the best No.2 in the world, especially for the way we play.
"He had an incredible game. People asked me, rightly, before the final if I would give Caoimhin another game to give him rhythm and I thought about it and thought for the first time 'ah, yes, he has no rhythm.'
"But that is life as a No.2, especially a young No.2, you just have to be ready when you are called.
"He was absolutely incredible tonight. I can remember at least two incredible saves, probably more, so he proved that the decision to line hiom up was absolutely right.
"And then in a spectacular shootout, he showed the whole range of his skills.
"First and foremost he is a goalkeeper but he finished off his penalty and it was top class."
