Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Caoimhin Kelleher after the goalkeeper was Liverpool’s penalty shootout here once again as the Reds started their League Cup defence with victory over Derby County.
The Republic of Ireland international hadn’t played for Liverpool since last year’s final against Chelsea, where he scored in the shootout at Wembley, having returned injured at the start of pre-season.
By keeping out three penalties against Derby to secure the Reds’ passage, Kelleher became the Liverpool goalkeeper with most shootout victories (four) and most shootout saves (six) in the club’s history.
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And speaking after the game, Klopp told reporters that Kelleher will only get better as he hailed the Irishman as ‘exceptional’.
“In history? Wow! But let’s just talk about tonight,” he said when told about the goalkeeper’s new records. “I remember the others, of course they were good as well.
“But tonight they were three really good penalties. They were all going in the corner and he saved them anyway. That’s massive.
“We never hold him back or say, ‘Caoimhin, you can’t play.’ He’s exceptional, absolutely exceptional.
“Not had the best season so far because he came back from holiday and was injured. It took a really long time to get him back in training and back to speed. But obviously he’s ready now.
“The goalkeeper coaches are doing an incredible job. He’s their product, and I’m sure they would say exactly the same. What they do with him, they develop a modern goalie. As calm as you like, can play football and on top of that can catch balls and keep the ball out of the net in a really good manner. That’s really good.
“I’m over the moon for him, that he can have these situations. He’s a very grounded boy, even though he rarely smiles. When he smiles, it means a lot to him. Really cool.
“There are still a lot of goalkeeping years to come for him. If he can keep that record, it will be exceptional. It will be insane numbers. He did really well.”
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