Vitezslav Jaros: Liverpool’s unlikely debutant as Caoimhin Kelleher absence explained

CRYSTAL PALACE 0-1 LIVERPOOL: The Czech goalkeeper replaced the injured Alisson as the Reds kept top of the Premier League with a victory at Selhurst Park.

Vitezslav Jaros, the Liverpool goalkeeper, received a Premier League baptism of fire against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

When Alisson seemed to sustain a muscular injury in the second half at Selhurst Park while dealing with a Trent Alexander-Arnold backpass, the Reds were forced to rely on their third-choice goalkeeper when the Brazilian was unable to continue.

Caoimhin Kelleher, the club’s usual reserve, was absent from the matchday squad in south London due to illness, so the 23-year-old Jaros had to come in at a critical point in the game to make his first senior appearance for the club, with his team leading 1-0 thanks to Diogo Jota’s early goal.

The youthful goalkeeper was called upon early on to punch a cross, before standing tall to save from Palace star Eberechi Eze as the latter sprinted through. Later, he was fast and observant to come and claim ahead of an onrushing Jean-Philippe Mateta, snuffing out the Palace forward’s chances.

Jaros has been on Liverpool’s books since 2017, when he arrived from Slavia Prague as a youngster, although his only professional appearances have been on loan. He is far from a rookie, however, and his efforts on loan at Austrian club Sturm Graz last season, when they were league champions, won him a berth in the Czech Republic’s Euro 2024 team, where he was third-choice.

Jaros’ loan stay at Graz was his fourth away from Liverpool, with his first occurring at Irish club St Patrick’s Athletic in 2021, when he was the team’s first-choice goalkeeper.

He also played for lower league English clubs Stockport County and Notts County in 2022 and 2023, before being promoted to Liverpool’s third-choice keeper in the summer following the departure of long-serving Adrian.

It’s unclear how long Alisson will be out, but the Reds will be counting on Kelleher to return if the Brazilian is out for a significant amount of time, while Jaros showed promise in his brief appearance on the field.