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Alisson Becker celebrated his 32nd birthday in style by keeping a clean sheet against Bologna in the Champions League

Alisson impressed against Bologna

It was a birthday to remember for Alisson Becker. The Brazil international was all smiles as he left the Anfield pitch following Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Bologna, having marked the start of his 33rd chapter by shutting out the opposition in the Reds' 250th game in the Champions League.

"That's what I asked (from) the boys before when I had my speech," he told TNT Sports at the full-time whistle. "It was a fantastic game, a really tough opponent. They play really well with the ball and without the ball they are aggressive. Playing against an Italian side is always difficult but we did good to manage the game and to score enough to win the game and to defend well to keep the clean sheet."

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It was the goalkeeper's fourth clean sheet in seven games this season and he was made to work for it, saving brilliantly from both Kacper Urbanski and Riccardo Orsolini to preserve Liverpool's slightly precarious advantage on Wednesday night. He was busier, perhaps, that Arne Slot would have liked as Bologna ensured there would be no procession for the hosts in what was their first home European tie since that dismal defeat to Atalanta back in April.

Alisson himself clearly sensed his team needed some extra ammunition from the Anfield crowd during one particularly frenetic first-half spell, with the Brazilian turning to rouse the Kop into action after Dan Ndoye's deflected strike had ricocheted off the crossbar. And his contributions were recognised after the game by teammate and goalscorer Alexis Mac Allister, who conceded Liverpool had relied a little too heavily on their No.1 to keep Bologna at bay.

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"Alisson made some good saves," the Argentinan said. "Sometimes I think we need to defend better, at least Ali showed how good he is. I’m happy for him and for the team.”

The past few months have forced many of a Liverpool persuasion to reconcile with the notion of life after the man who is widely regarded as the club's best goalkeeper since the legendary Ray Clemence. The emergence of transfer interest from Saudi Arabia coupled with Liverpool's acquisition of Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is set to join up with Slot's squad next summer, seemed to hint at some shrewd succession planning by the Anfield hierarchy.

A hamstring injury - a second this calendar year - kept Alisson out of games against Bournemouth and West Ham United last month and, while Caoimhin Kelleher again proved he is a more than capable deputy, the Brazilian's form this season has proved that he still remains peerless between the sticks.

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Of the 28 goalkeepers to have played in the Premier League this season, only Kelleher - who has just one top flight appearance to his name - has recorded a better save percentage than Alisson's 84.6%. Though, at 32, he may be approaching the latter stages of his elite career, his influence within this Liverpool team shows absolutely no sign of waning.

That the shot-stopper is only under contract until 2026 has perhaps gone under the radar owing to the more pressing contract situations of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, all of whom will see their current deals expire next summer. But, if Alisson continues in the same rich vein of form that has defined his Liverpool career to date, there is no reason why the Reds should not look to prolong his stay on Merseyside.

Certainly, he seems to be one of the many players enjoying life under Slot, with the Brazilian having eulogised about the Dutchman in a recent interview with BBC Radio 5 Live. "We were great before but Arne is bringing to us a new energy and knowledge," he said. "He is a really smart manager and he is helping us a lot. You can see from how we are playing now.

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"We are committed to the plan and can see it is a good plan. We still have a lot to improve but we are in the right direction. We have a big gap to reach for our best but we are doing well so far."

On his own future, Alisson added: "I am committed to this club 100% and that involves being part of the leadership group. We have a lot of young players, new players coming in, a completely new staff. When we changed, not everything was going wrong. The challenge for us was to keep the good things, pass these things to the staff and the players coming in, and embrace the good stuff that the new staff are bringing.

"It was a big challenge for this leadership group and I really believe we are doing quite well. We are sharing the responsibility and telling the young players they need to step up as well. This club is special and the people who work here are special."

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In football, however, it is the people who make the place and, as far as goalkeepers are concerned, Alisson is as special as they come. And while Slot will hope Liverpool do not regularly have to rely on their No.1 quite as heavily as they did on Wednesday night, the Brazilian continues to show that the Reds are in very safe hands.