Report on historic Anfield night as Giorginio Wijnaldum (2) and Divock Origi (2) send Liverpool to second successive Champions League final.
Liverpool
completed one of the greatest comebacks in football history, beating Barcelona
4-0 at Anfield and 4-3 on aggregate to reach the Champions League final.
Looking to
become only the third team in the competition's history to come back from three
goals down after the first leg of a semi-final, Liverpool took an early lead
through Divock Origi's tap in (7) to give Anfield hope, before two goals in two
second-half minutes brought them level.
Half-time substitute Georginio Wijnaldum first saw his low drive sneak
past Marc-Andre ter Stegen (54), and the Dutchman took the roof off Anfield as
his precise header from Xherdan Shaqiri's cross found the corner of Barca's net
(56).
And the
comeback was complete in bizarre and jaw-dropping fashion as Trent
Alexander-Arnold's cheeky corner caught Barcelona off guard, allowing the
unmarked Origi to turn home his second (79), having played most of this season
as a bit-part player.
Liverpool had a mountain to climb, but the frantic opening worked in
their favour as Jordi Alba's poor header allowed Sadio Mane to feed Henderson,
who drove into the area and forced a low stop from Ter Stegen, only for Origi
to follow up and finish from close range.
Anfield
erupted as Barca's defence cracked, but they eventually settled after 15
minutes as Lionel Messi forced a good save from Alisson from 12 yards, and the
Liverpool goalkeeper was again at his best to parry away Philippe Coutinho's
placed effort from the left of the box.
Luis Suarez,
once a hero at Anfield, was soon being roundly jeered by the home fans for
creating mischief among Liverpool's defence, with replays showing he may have
kicked out at Andrew Robertson as the two ran beside each other.
Robertson
had to be replaced at half-time by Wijnaldum, after Alisson had again kept the
score at 1-0 with a fine block from Jordi Alba at close range following Messi's
sublime through ball.
The
breakneck speed continued after half-time as Ter Stegen showed fine reflexes to
block Virgil van Dijk's backheeled volley from a corner, before Alisson made
yet another smart save from Suarez's low drive.
It began to
feel like another of those European nights at Anfield as Wijnaldum doubled
Liverpool's lead with a low drive from 12 yards from Trent Alexander-Arnold's
cross, although Ter Stegen should have done better with the effort.
And just 122
seconds after his first, Wijnaldum struck again, meeting a Shaqiri cross from
the left with a fine header, but Liverpool weren't settling for extra time.
While
Barcelona re-organised for a corner, Alexander-Arnold drilled a quick corner
into Origi's path, eight yards out, and the Belgian made no mistake, glancing
into the top left corner with his right foot.
Liverpool
weathered the storm in the final stages, sending Anfield into a frenzy on yet
another historic night for the five-time European Cup winners
Liverpool
manager Jurgen Klopp was almost lost for words as he tried to express
his feelings after the game.
He
told BT Sport: "The whole game. The whole performance was too
much. It was overwhelming. I watched in my life so many football games but I
can't remember many like this.
"Winning
is already difficult but winning with a clean sheet, I don't know how the boys
did it. I saw James Milner crying after the game on the pitch, it means so much
to all of us. There are more important things in the world but creating this
kind of atmosphere is so special.
Liverpool stunned
Barcelona but this club, and these fans, have a way of making the impossible
seem possible.
Adam
Bate was at Anfield on a night when, against the odds, belief was in the
air from the outset, peaking on The Debate after the game, former Liverpool
midfielder Danny Murphy waxed lyrical about the historic victory at
Anfield, particularly given their injuries and having watched Man City take the
lead in the title race just 24 hours before...
"I feel
emotional I've got goosebumps watching the celebrations. They achieved
something insurmountable tonight. They lost Firmino and Salah, they were
unlucky in the last game, City won last night, how they pick themselves up to
produce a performance of that quality is amazing.
"The
initiative to get the winner from Alexander-Arnold and Origi, in such a
frenetic situation. It was a team performance, helped by a wonderful crowd, a
wonderful atmosphere. Every single one of them was top drawer. It was just
sensational."
Barcelona
boss Ernesto Valverde admits his side were "rolled over" and
"blown away" by Liverpool.
"They
have been really strong, they played really well and they kind of us rolled us
over, really. It is a terrible result for our fans and for ourselves but credit
is due to Liverpool.
Source: Sky Sports