Alisson Becker believes Roberto Firmino is one of the most integral members of the Liverpool squad.

The Brazil international was on target in the first half of Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham.

That result moved Liverpool 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League, although their lead has since been cut to 14 points following Manchester City’s 6-1 thrashing of Aston Villa on Sunday.

And Alisson has hailed his compatriot after Firmino’s match-winning performance in north London.

‘Bobby is one of the most important players in our team – and we have a lot,’ he told Liverpool’s official website.

‘I think everybody is important but Bobby not only scores when we need him, he makes the team play, he drops to play from behind.

‘This is a good thing and it is something that he likes to do, he likes to help, and I’m really happy that he scored because a striker needs to score to stay confident and he is helping us with the goals.’

Liverpool have now won 20 of their first 21 top-flight fixtures this term, which represents the best-ever start to a season in Europe’s top five leagues.

The Reds are also unbeaten in their last 38 Premier League encounters, but Alisson has played down the significance of such records.

‘We don’t think too much about breaking records but it’s good when you break them,’ he said.

‘We just want to keep going, to keep playing, to keep doing our best to make the fans happy, to make our family proud, to make the boss proud because we work a lot every day to come here on the pitch on a match day and win the game.

‘So, we do everything that is in our hands to make it happen and we are really happy with the three points and a clean sheet also.

‘We celebrate this victory then we have some days off to rest and have time with family. But when we are back in training, we need to be really focused on the next game, which is an important game for us in the continuity of the race for the title.

‘We are doing really well so far, as the boss always says, we are being the best so far and we need only to keep going, keep pushing and do our best,’ he concluded.

Liverpool return to action in the Premier League against Manchester United on Sunday.