Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker made the 80-metre journey into West Bromwich Albion's penalty area, more in hope than any expectation of scoring the stoppage-time goal that would keep alive his team's chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
After all, he'd never scored a goal in his career. No Liverpool ‘keeper had in the club’s 129-year history.
One textbook header from a corner changed all of that.
In one of the most sensational moments of this or any Premier League season, Alisson – with his gloves on and unmissable in his black shirt and shorts – found space in the middle of the area to glance a header into the bottom corner from a perfect delivery by Trent Alexander-Arnold and secure Liverpool a dramatic 2-1 win on Sunday.
It came in the fifth minute of added-on time and was delivered with the technique of an established striker.
Alisson got up off the ground and was immediately mobbed by his teammates. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was speechless in his technical area.
A goalkeeper had scored for just the sixth time in Premier League history – and none of the previous five had been a winner.
And Liverpool, against all the odds, could dream once again of the Champions League with one week left of the season.
“You can’t explain a lot of things in life," the Brazil international said.
“For me, the only reason for those types of things is god. He put his hand on my head today and I’m feeling really blessed.”
Alisson dedicated the goal to his father, José Agostinho Becker, who drowned in February after going for a swim on his property in the southern city of Lavras do Sul in Brazil.
“I (wish) he was here to see it. I’m sure he is with god at his side, celebrating," he said.
Without that goal, Liverpool would have been on course to miss out on finishing in the top four, their destiny no longer in their players' hands.
Now, wins over Burnley and Crystal Palace will likely seal Liverpool a place in the top four and a return to the Champions League for one of European football's grandest club.
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“What a goal, what a worldie and unbelievable goal, the technique was insane,” Klopp said.
“It couldn’t have been a better moment, it’s just perfect for today. If he is never doing it again, I’m fine. It’s a perfect moment."
Liverpool have 63 points, one behind fourth-placed Chelsea and three behind third-placed Leicester with two rounds remaining. Chelsea host Leicester on Tuesday in the next-to-last round.
Tottenham is still in the hunt for the top four – if only mathematically – after a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton, but Everton dropped out of the race by losing 1-0 at home to Sheffield United.
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