Alexis Mac Allister is lauded by his Liverpool team-mates after his STUNNER spared their blushes against bottom of the table Sheffield United

Alexis Mac Allister scored a screamer in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Sheffield United on Thursday night, and earned significant praise for his actions.

While Darwin Nunez opened the scoring in the first half, an own goal meant the game was level when the Argentine midfielder scored an exceptional strike 15 minutes from time to give the Reds the advantage again, before Cody Gakpo sealed the game on 90 minutes.

And in the post-match analysis, Mac Allister earned significant praise for his performance, as Liverpool returned to the summit of the Premier League table.

Speaking after the game, former Liverpool and Scotland defender Gary McAllister said: 'A lot of relief in the Kop there as well. It was a wee bit nervous, the crowd.

'The goal from Mac Allister was just spectacular. A big moment in the game from a big player. That's what it takes to get you over the line.' 

There were also congratulations from his manager, who saw his side's blushes spared, having conceded a second-half equaliser to the side at the foot of the table. 

Klopp joked that the former Brighton man has mishit his effort , but admitted his side had been below their best before he made four second-half substitutions, including taking off Mohamed Salah.

'Our general game until I think we made the changes was not great,' Klopp said on TNT Sports. 'That's what we have to admit.'

The Reds had taken a fortuitous lead after only 17 minutes when Grbic's clearance was blocked by Darwin Nunez and found it's way into the Blades net. The home side pressed for a second before the break but were unable to find the final pass. 

That failing was brutally exposed by Chris Wilder's side just before the hour when Gustavo Hamer's header deflected off Conor Bradley's foot.

Having seen title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City win the night before, all in Anfield were tense, braced for a nervy conclusion, maybe even disappointment. But Mac Allister had other ideas and unleashed the fierce drive that enabled players and fans to breathe deep sigh of relief. 

For his part, the Argentine was remarkably modest in his appraisal of his effort, saying it was a 'good' goal, and rivalled his strike against Fulham earlier in the season. 

He added: 'The most important thing is that we had to win the game and that's so important. 

'Against Fulham, they told me that I was lucky. So today, I had to prove them wrong.'