Kelleher is a penalty shootout king
Caoimhin Kelleher is a Irish goalkeeper that is from Cork and is currently 23 years old. Kelleher moved to Liverpool when he was 16 years old. He made his first senior cap for Republic of Ireland against Hungary in 2021. The Cork man impressed when he was given his Premier League chance against Chelsea in January 2022.
He rose to fame after scoring the winning penalty in 2021/2022 EFL Cup Final against Chelsea in Wembley. Goalkeepers are not associated with taking penalties but he was composed in scoring the winning penalty. He was influential in playing every game in the 2021/2022 EFL Cup. This was a historic moment in 2022 for both Irish Sport and himself.
He impressed yet again as he played all four Summer UEFA Nations League games against Armenia, Ukraine twice and Scotland in June 2022. His rise was fantastic in 2022 considering his opportunities at Anfield were limited due to number one Allison Becker. He has not played much since the Summer with Ireland due to a groin injury. Kelleher only returned to full fitness at the end of October 2022.
Liverpool were drawn against Derby County in the EFL Cup and the match was played just three days after their win against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp decided to give Kelleher his first start of this season against Derby. Derby made it difficult for the home side as the match ended in a scoreless draw. If a match ends in a draw in the EFL Cup, it means that the match goes straight to a penalty shootout.
Kelleher was outstanding in the shootout as he made an incredible three penalty saves. One of the saves was against fellow Cork native Conor Hourihane. Klopp praised Kelleher after this game for his role in Liverpool advancing to the next round of EFL Cup. The Cork man made history as he became the first Liverpool goalkeeper to win and make saves in four penalty shootouts in just 18 appearances. Kelleher has never let Liverpool down regardless of who he plays against or the competition that it is in. He has to play in the next round of EFL Cup and could possibly line out for Ireland against either Norway or Malta in upcoming friendlies.