Liverpool goalkeeper Keevin Kelleher is one of the heroes of the League Cup final. Jürgen Klopp’s team beat Chelsea 1-0 in extra time. And Kelleher made nine saves, with six shots from outside the box. In total, according to Squawka Football calculations, Kivin prevented 2.95 goals. The Irishman perfectly replaced injured Liverpool goalkeeper Alison.
Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool head coach
“I am very satisfied with Kelleher, he was great. “We have the best goalkeeper in the world and the best number two in the world.”
We talk about Kelleher’s path to the main game of his life.
Kelleher started in attack, but everything changed when the goalkeeper left his team
Keevin is Irish. He was born in the country’s second largest city, Cork. Kelleher began playing football for local clubs County and Ringmahon Rangers. Interestingly, he initially played as a striker. However, the goalkeeper left Ringmahon’s youth team, so Kelleher was tried in goal. And Kivin showed a great game.
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“Obviously it worked well, I did well in the first game. The fact is that I really liked playing in goal. And I continued,” Keevin said in an interview with The Guardian. In the summer of 2015, Liverpool noticed Kelleher and took him to their academy.
The Irishman’s first appearance in the main team took place in 2018. In the offseason, Jurgen Klopp took Kelleher to a training camp in the United States. And in August, Liverpool signed Kivin to a professional contract. In the 2018/2019 season he did not have the opportunity to debut with the team, but Kelleher ended up on the bench in the Champions League final with Tottenham (2-0). That’s why he has a Champions League winner’s medal.
Kelleher played his first game for the Reds in September 2019, starting in the League Cup match against MK Dons (2-0). In this tournament he also played the legendary match with Arsenal (5-5, 5-4 penalty) and Aston Villa (0-5). Plus took the field in the replay of the FA Cup fourth round match against Shrewsbury (1-0). In the 2019/2020 season, Liverpool became champions of England for the first time in 30 years. Kivin never entered the field, but again received his gold medal.
Kevin Kelleher
Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Kelleher’s main attraction until 2024 is also Chelsea. His attacking skills helped him
Little by little, Kelleher became Liverpool’s number two. Alison’s positions were not discussed, but Adrian lost his reserve status due to poor play. And Kivin became the closest substitute for the Brazilian. Kelleher made his debut in the Premier League on December 6, 2020 in the match against Wolverhampton (4-0). At 22 years and 13 days, he became the third-youngest Liverpool goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League, and the youngest to do so in his first league game. The Irishman played one more game in the Premier League, and also participated once in the FA Cup and twice in the Champions League.
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In the summer of 2021, Kelleher signed a new contract with Liverpool until 2026. “This is a big moment for me. I have tied my future with the team for the next few years. “Liverpool is a great club and it is an honor and a joy for me to stay here,” said Kewin after signing the agreement.
However, it proved almost impossible for Kelleher to compete with Alison. He only received playing time in minor games or when the Brazilian was out due to injury. In the 2021/2022 season, Kivin played eight games and four in the following season.
Although there was still a standout moment from the goalkeeper. In February 2022, Liverpool also faced Chelsea in the League Cup final and went to penalties. The field players were not going to fail, so the goalkeepers went to the point. With the score 10:10, Kelleher confidently converted the penalty (remember that he began his career as a striker), but Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga missed. Kivin finally brought the trophy to Liverpool, winning the second penalty shoot-out of his career.
Kevin Kelleher
Photo: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Kelleher was considering leaving before the start of the season. And now he has become Liverpool’s main goalkeeper.
In the summer of 2023, information appeared that Kelleher would leave the team. At the age of 24, it was unlikely that he would remain on the bench forever. Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Wolverhampton and Brentford showed interest in the goalkeeper. Liverpool valued their player at £20 million and, in June 2023, former Republic of Ireland national team manager Stephen Kenny said he expected Kelleher to leave the club due to a lack of opportunities to prove his worth: “ He lacked practice last time. season and it became a problem for him.”
However, Kelleher was unable to move to another team. Nobody dared to make a serious offer to Liverpool. And it’s not all in vain!
Kevin Kelleher
Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images
In the 2023/2024 season, Klopp entrusted Kelleher with matches in two tournaments: the League Cup and the Europa League. In the first, Kivin played all the games, including the outstanding final. And he has played five games in the Europa League.
Kewin also became Liverpool’s main goalkeeper in the Premier League following Alison’s injury. In general, the Irishman had a unique opportunity to feel like number one. And so far he is assuming the responsibilities of him at the highest level. And he hugely helped Liverpool win their first trophy of the season.
Kevin Kelleher
Liverpool goalkeeper
“This is a great start for the rest of the season, we still have many tournaments that we want to do well and win. So moments like this give extra motivation to go out and do it again.”
Surprisingly, despite his age, Kelleher is the best goalkeeper in Liverpool’s history in terms of number of shots saved in the penalty shootout. He scored six of them (the previous record holder, Pepe Reina, scored five). And at the same time he achieved the club’s record in winning series, emerging victorious in four games: with Arsenal (2019), Leicester (2021), Chelsea (2022) and Derby County (2022) in the League Cup.
The last game against the Londoners added a huge sum to Kelleher’s transfer price. So even if he decides to leave Liverpool, the future club will have to shell out money. Kivin has shown that he is capable of performing at the highest level. Another success for the Liverpool academy.
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