At the final whistle, Jurgen Klopp knew exactly where to head.

To his goalkeeper. To Caoimhin Kelleher, the hero of the hour as far as Liverpool were concerned.

He loves a bear hug, the Reds bo s, but this one had a bit more behind it.

I thought for a second dont do it because the Michael Jordan Jersey cameras were on, said Klopp, grinning from ear to ear. But come on, who cares?!

What a night for Kelleher. Making his Champions League debut, It was only his fifth profe sional appearance, but hell never forget it.

What a week it has been for the Irishman. On Saturday he conceded seven at Kirkby as the Under-23s were battered by a rampant Manchester City, and yet here he was, three days later, under the spotlight, repelling one of Europes most famous sides.

Amazing, Kelleher reflected afterwards. His phone, he said, had been hopping as the me sages of support and congratulations rolled in.

Hed found out he was playing on Monday afternoon. Ali son Becker had tweaked his hamstring at Brighton, leaving Klopp with a big call to make.

Experience or youth? Stick with Adrian, the much-maligned number two, or go for something different?

It was easy to decide for Caoimhin because he just deserves it, Klopp said afterwards. But it was difficult to decide against Adrian because he did really well for us.

But tonight we needed the package of Caoimhin. We needed his natural football- Jeff Driskel Jersey playing ability.

We made that decision but you never know how they are going to cope. I am really happy with how calm he was and how good he was.

Kellehers contributionsproved decisive, a strong hand to turn over Nou sair Mazraouis 25-yarder in the first half, a smart stop to his right to deny the same player after the break and then, best of all, razor-sharp reflexes to keep out the substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaars point-blank header three minutes from Clark Harris Jersey time.

Big saves, important saves. The saves thatwill surely ensure he keeps his place for the visit of Wolves on Sunday.

A Premier League debut beckons, for the man from Cork.

It may have come sooner, but for an ill-timed bicycle accident. Kelleher suffered a broken wrist after an ill-timed tumble during his summer holiday in 2019.

Had he not, he may well have been the man to step in when Ali son suffered a calf injury in the Reds first league match of the campaign a couple of weeks later. As it was, Adrian was given the chance.

Kelleher Ryan Finley Jersey still played four times last season, with mixed results.He conceded five times in two of those outings, though he also kept two clean sheets and saved crucially from Dani Ceballos in a penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.

His last appearancewas against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup in February, a game which bore a striking similarity with Tuesday night a defiant 1-0 win in which Curtis Jones and Neco Williams excelled for the Reds.

Kelleher joined Liverpool in 2015 having been spotted playing for local side Ringmahon Rangers. He might have gone to Manchester City, according to club treasurer Paul Higgins, while Fulham and Aston Villa had him on trial. Five years on, their lo s is very much Liverpools gain.

A prolific striker in his younger years, it is no wonder Kelleher looked so a sured with his feet both of them against Ajax.

We needed that, Klopp admitted. Hes a top footballer George Iloka Jersey .

Liverpool had considered loaning out Kelleher, both in January and in the summer. There was interest from the Championship, but they instead chose to send Kamil Grabara, the Poland U21 international, to Danish side AGF Aarhus.

Grabara and Kelleher, generally, have been seen as equals in terms of potential. Liverpool also have Vite Jaros, the highly-rated Czech who was part of their Youth Cup-winning team of 2019, Brandon LaFell Jersey and recently signed Marcelo Pitaluga, the Brazil U17 international, from Fluminense.

Pitaluga, ineligible for the Champions League, played for the U18s in a 4-1 win over Burnley on Tuesday night, andis already said to have caught the eye of senior staff. Keep an eye out for the 17-year-old's development.

Kelleher, though, is the man with the chance now. Hes had to wait for it, but against Ajax he justified Klopps faith.

Top, top, top, said the manager when asked to a se s his performance.

Few would argue. Same again Sunday, Liverpool will hope.