Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has revealed how he teased teammate Alisson after the goalkeeper's mistake cost the Reds a clean sheet in their win over Manchester United.
After Sadio Mane had put Jurgen Klopp's side in front, Romelu Lukaku's tame cross was fumbled by Alisson into the path of Jesse Lingard to equalise for the Red Devils.
Despite going on to claim a 3-1 victory, Van Dijk admitted he jokingly scolded his Brazilian teammate for failing to add to their ten Premier League clean sheets this season.
Asked what he said to Alisson in the moments after his mistake, the Dutchman revealed (as quoted by Goal): "Why did you ruin the clean sheet!?
I’m glad Alisson made a mistake so it got interesting for a while
— John Arne Riise (@JARiiseOfficial) 16 December 2018
"I said to him, 'We have no clean sheet because of you!' No, I made a joke out of it. He's been fantastic for us. It happens, everyone makes mistakes. It's how we react and he did brilliantly in the second half."
Van Dijk added: "He didn't get nervous. I said to him, 'Just keep going, keep your head up and we'll be fine'."
Alisson arrived from Serie A giants AS Roma last summer in a deal reportedly worth £66.8m. The 26-year-old has firmly cemented himself as the Reds' first-choice goalkeeper, and has enjoyed a fine start to his Anfield career with a total of 14 clean sheets across all competitions.
COMPARED: Alisson vs. David de Gea in the Premier League this season:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) 14 December 2018
Games: 16-16
Goals conceded: 6-26
Clean sheets: 10-2
Saves: 36-54
Save percentage: 85.7%-54.72%
Passing accuracy: 78%-59%
Errors leading to shots: 2-1
路♂️ pic.twitter.com/cvuZ7IueVq
Liverpool return to Premier League action on Friday when they travel to Molineux to take on Nuno Espirito Santo's high-flying Wolves, knowing victory would guarantee them the top spot for Christmas.
Source : 90min