2 weeks ago
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Giorgi Mamardashvili has been sternly blamed for both goals during Liverpool's 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Anfield.
The Reds endured their fourth consecutive defeat on Sunday. This result marks the Premier League club's worst string of results since 2014, with summer signing Mamardashvili making his home league debut in goal, stepping in for the injured Alisson.
Liverpool had a calamitous start to the match as Bryan Mbeumo put the away side ahead, slipping the ball past Mamardashvili. There's certainly an argument that the 25-year-old keeper was too easily beaten at his near post for United's first goal. He also fumbled a cross from Matheus Cunha, which nearly led to a goal for Mason Mount.
However, there was little the Georgian could have done about Harry Maguire's late winner as the defender headed a volleyed cross from Bruno Fernandes home from just six yards out. Despite this, former United keeper Ben Foster has surprisingly suggested that Alisson would've come out to claim the cross if he had been between the sticks.
"For the first one, I was really disappointed," the ex-England and Wrexham stopper said on his Fozcast podcast. "He got dragged into that space and he's into no man's land, because you've not got much space to operate in. He can't go and affect the ball because you can tell Mbeumo's just getting it onto that right foot and he's shooting.
"What he's done, though, is he's closed that space and closed his reaction time off, so he's basically just got to hope it hits him. Whereas if he had just stayed where he was, he could have reacted to that. When you're not playing, you start to do things like that.
"I think the difference is that Allison is so set in his position. He knows where he is. He's so comfortable with his surroundings when that ball comes in [for the second goal].
"When he sees that, he's thinking, 'Can I come for the cross?' A goalie at the top of his game at this moment in time just comes and punches that away."
At present, there's no fixed timeline for Alisson's return from the hamstring injury he picked up against Galatasaray last month. Mamardashvili made his Premier League debut in Liverpool's 2-1 loss to Chelsea, where he had little chance of stopping either of the goals conceded by the Reds.
Despite Foster's critique of his performance against United, Mamardashvili received a vote of confidence from Liverpool manager Arne Slot earlier this month.
The Dutchman stated: "We knew we were bringing in a very good goalkeeper, but when he plays his first game, that's always the best way of seeing that he's adjusted well or not. He's adjusted really well to our club, which is not a surprise because he's a quality goalkeeper."
In Alisson's absence, Mamardashvili is expected to hold the fort as Liverpool's first-choice goalkeeper.
The Reds are bracing for a critical stretch of seven matches in 22 days, including Champions League showdowns at Eintracht Frankfurt and a home game against Real Madrid, plus a challenging Premier League away match at Manchester City.
Last month, Mamardashvili stated: "I have had to be patient. It doesn't matter if I play or not, I have to be ready. I work hard every day."
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