There was so much to dissect in the wake of Sunday’s blockbuster showdown between Manchester City and Liverpool that so many vital performances arguably drifted under the radar. One of these you could say was the performance of Alisson in goal.
The Liverpool number one may have been beaten twice on the day, however there’s a case to be made that he could have done little about either. The first from Kevin De Bruyne deflected agonisingly beyond his outstretched hand and off the inside of the post, while the second scored by Gabriel Jesus also fortuitously hit the woodwork en route to the back of the net.
But prior to the hosts breaking the deadlock, it seemed almost certain that Raheem Sterling was going to score after he latched onto a cross into the penalty area with only Alisson to beat. The Brazilian though spread himself expertly to make a crucial save, stopping a goal that would have caused even earlier issues for the Reds.
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According to Understat, of City’s 11 shots on the day, Sterling’s had the highest xG (0.41), signalling just how big a chance, and indeed save, it was.
While City had to work extremely hard, and rely on a bit of fortune, to get past Alisson, it wasn’t the same at the other end of the pitch vs Ederson.
Alisson’s compatriot allowed Diogo Jota’s equalising strike to squirm under him, while he did little to stop Sadio Mane when the two went one-v-one for Liverpool’s second. Although it’d be unfair to judge him too harshly for Mane’s goal given the quality of the finish, there’s certainly a fair case to be made that he should have done better for Jota’s equaliser.
And the contrast between the two in this game captures the gap in quality between both - from a shot-stopping ability at least - for most of the season so far. According to FBref, Alisson has out-performed his Post-Shot xG (PSxG) by 4.6 in the Premier League this season.
What this means in basic terms is that the Liverpool man has conceded between four and five goals fewer than what would’ve been expected based on the quality of shots he has faced this season.
In contrast, Ederson has actually underperformed against his PSxG by 1.4 . This would indicate he has actually allowed more goals than would have been expected based on the quality of shots he has faced.
A goalkeeper obviously plays a crucial role for any team, but this is especially the case for both Liverpool and Man City with the stakes so high this season. Each of Alisson and Ederson are lucky in that they tend to be tested far less than most other keepers in the league, however when they are, the evidence shows that Alisson is performing better than Ederson.
Ederson is far from a liability. However, he doesn’t have the same impact for City that Alisson has for Liverpool, which could prove a critical difference between the two sides across the remaining seven games of this title race.
