Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson had his work cut out for him on his return from injury in the 1-0 win over Girona in Spain in a Champions League match, and manager Arne Slott praised the Brazilian, who had a big role in keeping the team's 100 percent active in the tournament, reported BTA.
Liverpool leads the temporary standings in the Champions League with 6 wins from 6 games and 18 points to their credit.
Alisson has been sidelined since October 5 and showed against Girona why he is Slott's No.1 choice in goal with several saves before Mohamed Salah's penalty gave Liverpool a 1-0 win.
"He certainly didn't look like someone who had been out for two months. "I joked with the players that maybe they wanted to see how ready Alisson was because they made him make so many saves," Slott said, quoted by Reuters.
"He showed why I always say he is our No.1," added the Merseysiders manager
Liverpool defender Andy Roberston also praised the goalkeeper but was unhappy with how many opportunities the Girona side had.
"He's been out for a while so we had to see if he was a bit rusty, but he definitely wasn't. But we should have more control. We cannot leave so many empty spaces, but press more aggressively and better. Especially in the first half, things didn't exactly go our way," commented Robertson.
Arne Slott also heaped praise on Liverpool's rivals, who caused his team plenty of problems but conceded their fifth defeat in six games.
"I almost feel sorry for Girona because they are a very classy team and deserve more than the 3 points they have at the moment. "They had a really good game plan, but we had an excellent goaltender," Slott concluded.
Girona head coach Michel vowed his men would keep fighting until the end in the two games remaining in the Champions League group stage after the narrow defeat dented their hopes of progressing.
The Spanish side suffered their fifth defeat of the tournament as Mohamed Salah scored a second-half penalty to give Liverpool victory.
Mitchell's side are 30th in the table with three points, four off the final play-off spot and with games against AC Milan and Arsenal remaining, it looks as if Girona's maiden Champions League campaign could soon be over.
"Qualifying for the next phase seems unattainable, but as long as there is even the slightest chance, we will continue to fight for it," he told the media.
"We will do our best in the two matches we have left, we will have fun and look for victory in both matches," added the coach.
Despite the loss, Mitchell was satisfied with the team's performance.
"We performed really well, we met the goal of filling the key spaces. We created chances, especially for Arno Danjuma", he also commented.
Miguel Gutierrez agreed with his coach's opinion.
"This is an experience for us. We play every three days all over Europe and it brings us huge emotions. We're not out yet, it's not over. As long as we have even a mathematical chance, we will fight," said the football player.