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 according to Skysports.
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.
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).
While Barcelona re-organised for a corner, Liverpool’s comeback was complete in bizarre and jaw-dropping fashion when 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.
The unprecedented and sublime comeback means Liverpool will play in their second successive Champions League final on June 1 in Madrid, facing either Ajax or Tottenham.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed his side’s “impossible” Champions League semi-final second leg victory as “unbelievable” after they trumped Barcelona 4-0 to claim a 4-3 win on aggregate and reach the final.
Klopp was unable to call upon the services of key stars Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino after both were ruled out of action, while defender Andy Robertson was replaced at half-time by Wijnaldum due to injury.
Speaking at full-time to BT Sport, the German admitted that he had thought the feat to pull off such a comeback was beyond the realm of possibility – except for his own side.
“I said to the boys before the game that this is impossible, but because it’s you, it’s possible,” Klopp gushed.
“It’s 10 past 10, so most kids are in bed…These boys are f*cking mentality giants. It’s unbelievable.
“The whole game was too much. It was overwhelming. We played against maybe the best team in world.
“Winning is difficult but winning with a clean sheet, I don’t know how they did it. It’s unbelievable.
“I saw James Milner crying on the pitch after the game. It means so much to all of us. It’s the best phase of football.”
Klopp made sure to pay additional tribute to Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri, two fringe players in the squad brought to the fore tonight in their hour of need.
“There are more important things in the world. But creating this emotional atmosphere together is so special. It’s all about the players,” he added.
“The mix of potential and unbelievable heart is just a mix I never saw before. You have to be confident in a game like this.
“Divock and Shaq didn’t play a lot. Putting a performance in like that, it was so important. It shows what’s possible in football. It’s so nice. It’s really nice.
“We had to be serious. But we needed to be cheeky as well. It was necessary. Barcelona defend predictable things well. But you need to be unpredictable at moments.
“I saw the ball flying in the goal, I didn’t see the corner. I didn’t see who took the corner. Ben Woodburn said ‘what happened?’”
Liverpool will have to wait a day to find out their opponents in the final, with Ajax or Tottenham set to join them there.
Samson Oyedeyi
