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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Elliot Thompson

Alisson gets fans' approval as Mohamed Salah misses out after Liverpool decision

Liverpool are a long way off the position they would like to be in right now as Jurgen Klopp’s men sit in eighth place in the Premier League table.

The Reds are 10 points off the top-four places so the possibility of that famous Champions League anthem not echoing around Anfield next season is fast becoming a stark reality.

At the start of March, though, there was renewed hope that the Reds would be able to snatch the last top-four spot as they carried on some good league of form with a run-of-the-mill win against Wolves at Anfield.

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This was quickly followed by the game of the season courtesy of a historic demolition of Manchester United with a 7-0 victory at Anfield.

It seemed that the players had turned a corner until the weekend after they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat away at struggling Bournemouth which was then followed up by another, albeit less embarrassing, loss to Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Karim Benzema getting the only goal on the night.

Reds goalkeeper Alisson has been one of Liverpool’s most consistent players throughout this season, and he impressed Liverpool ECHO readers the most during March as he won the fans' player of the month with 56% of the vote.

The Brazilian chalked up back-to-back clean sheets in the wins against Wolves and Manchester United while his saves at 0-0 against Erik ten Hag's side was the catalyst for the remarkable result.

He also made a staggering six saves against Real Madrid to keep the score down, with a couple of world class in particular stops showcasing just how much he has proved his worth to Klopp. The goalkeeper won the vote by quite a distance with January signing Cody Gakpo clinching second with 28% of those polled.

Gakpo took his time before getting into some form and in March he had his best game in a Liverpool shirt, netting a brace against Manchester United whilst simultaneously running the show in the false nine position which Roberto Firmino has shone in for so many years.

GET INVOLVED: Was Alisson Liverpool's best player last month? Let us know in the comments section

However, he couldn’t take that form into the game against Bournemouth and then he was put into a deeper role at the Bernabeu stadium nullifying his attacking threat. Mohamed Salah came third in the vote with just 16% of the 422 votes as he, like Gakpo got a brace in the 7-0 victory with one of the goals being a rocket from his 'weaker' right foot.

The Egyptian also managed to get two assists for Gakpo and Roberto Firmino in the rout whilst simultaneously putting Lisandro Martinez on the floor for the first one. He also got the second goal against Wolves to secure the three points and he should have got another goal at the Vitality against Bournemouth, but he fired his penalty completely off target.

The season looked like it was coming back alive for Liverpool in March but in the slight revival was simply just that, but with a performance which will be remembered for years against their old foes.

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