Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: I would've paid more for Alisson if I knew he was this good!

Jurgen Klopp joked he should have paid more for goalkeeper Alisson Becker after an "incredible, unbelievable" performance secured Liverpool a place in the Champions League knockout stages.

Taking on Napoli in their final group game needing either a win by a margin of two goals or greater or a 1-0 in their favour, the Reds ended up claiming the latter result on a nervy night at Anfield.

Things should have been more comfortable on the balance of chances, but in the end Klopp’s men were left indebted to a remarkable piece of goalkeeping from Alisson.

The Brazilian, who arrived at Anfield in a £65m deal in the summer, made an injury-time stop from Arkadiusz Milik which effectively secured the hosts’ place in the next round and prompted his manager to tell Sky Sports: “If I knew Alisson was this good, I would have paid more!”

Speaking later at his press conference, Klopp added: “It was not only one save. He had a lot of things to do tonight. How cool and calm he was with the ball helps us a lot in our build-up situations. When he comes out for crosses he is outstanding. And, yes, that save was just incredible.

“But if we don’t defend the whole pitch like we defended, Ali cannot make 20 saves like the last one. He did it… incredible, unbelievable. I never saw something similar. But still he needs the other boys around.”

Reflecting on the game as a whole, Klopp expressed pride over the performance his team produced in a game where the margins could barely have been finer.

And he credited Napoli with more than playing their part in a gripping end-to-end contest.

"I'm still full of adrenaline. This game was just amazing. It was outstanding, unbelievable,” he said.

“The boys played their whole hearts on the pitch - I'm not sure it's right saying. With each part of the their body they were in that game. Our offensive defending, our offensive pressing was some of the best I've ever saw.

"The intensity we played with was just difficult to deal with. Yes, we could have scored more often but the 2-0 doesn't help a lot.

"The most difficult period was after the 1-0. You could see this little bit of relief and then Napoli was there. That made the game so intense. We knew at half-time that you cannot change the tactics and say: 'Let's sit a bit deeper'. In that moment, they are not to defend anymore because they do it really so well.

"We had to again like how we did it in the first half. Then after 65 minutes it was really wild - it was like counter, counter, counter and quick transition without really finishing.

"The goal Mo scored - what a goal, unbelievable. And the save Ali made - I have no words for that. That was, of course, a lifesaver tonight. I'm really proud what the boys did tonight."

The Liverpool boss also thanked the club’s supporters for their contribution to another memorable evening at Anfield culminating in success for the home side.

He continued: “And that I don't forget it because nobody asked, I want to say thank you, Anfield.

“It was unbelievable what the people did tonight. The atmosphere they created it was just so special. I couldn’t be more proud of all the people involved – thank you.”