Summary
- Liverpool fight back from 3-0 down to win 4-3 on aggregate
- First time a team has overturned a three-goal deficit in a CL semi-final
- Origi & Wijnaldum score two apiece
- Full-Time: Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (Agg: 4-3)
- Liverpool in Champions League final after incredible comeback
- Origi gave Reds early hope (7)
- Wijnaldum stroked home second (54)
- Wijnaldum headed leveller (56)
- Bizarre Origi goal put Reds ahead! (79)
‘Barcelona couldn’t handle the pressure’
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (Agg: 4-3)
Alan Shearer
Former England captain on BBC Radio 5 Live said,
“I have never seen anything like this before. I’ve played at Anfield when there is a superb atmosphere but this is something else, something special.
I’ve never seen Anfield like this and the fans were driving their players forward from start to finish, it’s just been relentless, just incredible. It has been incredible from all the players, the decisions that went for and against them, the players they had to play without and then Robertson went off at half time. Wow.
Liverpool showed their intent right from the off and if they were going to go out they were going to give it a right go. We’re talking about Busquets, Suarez, Pique and the best player I’ve ever seen, Messi, and they could not handle it, they could not handle the pressure.
Origi’s hold-up play, his finishing, he ran Barcelona ragged and they couldn’t handle him. He was superb.”
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OPTA STAT
In the first leg, Liverpool became the 32nd different Champions League opponent Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has scored against – only former Real Madrid and Schalke striker Raúl has scored against more (33).
Liverpool haven’t conceded a Champions League goal at Anfield in 367 minutes, since Kylian Mbappé scored for Paris Saint-Germain in September.
The Reds haven’t kept five consecutive home clean sheets in the European Cup/Champions League since October 1984.
Champions League trophy
Ernesto Valverde has stuck with the same XI that secured a 3-0 advantage in the first leg at the Nou Camp last Wednesday.
Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho once again start against their former club, while Lionel Messi will be looking to pick up where he left off just under a week ago.
TEAM NEWS – REMINDER
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Milner, Henderson, Mane, Shaqiri, Origi.
Subs: Mignolet, Wijnaldum, Lovren, Gomez, Sturridge, Brewster, Woodburn.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Rakitic, Busquets, Vidal, Coutinho, Messi, Suarez.
Subs: Cillessen, Semedo, Arthur, Malcom, Umtiti, Vermaelen, Alena.