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Liverpool's long and stiff road to Madrid concluded in a stunning fashion last night as the Reds lifted their sixth European Cup/Champions League title by defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0.
The start to the game was electric, but a shocking one for Spurs as Moussa Sissoko's handball saw the Reds receiving a golden chance to take the lead from the spot. The early chance was rightly taken as Mohammed Salah deftly put the ball into the back of the net to give Liverpool a dream start. However, after that, the game didn't deliver what it promised as it turned out to be an immensely cagey affair, with both teams constantly nullifying each other.
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Spurs looked more dominant in the second half but couldn't find the breakthrough. The Reds' rearguard stood strong and the game was put to the bed by substitute Divock Origi, who has been a revelation for Liverpool in the later stages of the Champions League this season. The Belgian's tidy left-footed finish went into the right bottom corner to give Liverpool a 2-0 lead in the 87th minute.
Here are five key stats from the UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur last night.
#5 Salah's opener became the second-fastest goal in Champions League final history
Sadio Mane's cross hit Sissoko's hand, and the Reds were handed a penalty in the very first minute of the game. It was duly converted by Salah on the 1 minute 48 seconds mark.
It was the second-fastest goal in UEFA Champions League final history, only behind Paulo Maldini's goal. The ex-Italy international scored for AC Milan after just 50 seconds against Liverpool in 2005.
Salah's goal gave the Reds an early sigh of relief and they eventually won the game by a 2-0 margin.
#4 Tottenham have never taken a lead in the first half in the Champions League this season
Tottenham Hotspur had decent goalscoring opportunities in the first half, with Son Heung-min particularly appearing as a threat, but they couldn't capitalize on them.
It was not the first time Spurs failed to take the lead in the first half in the Champions League this season. In fact, the north London outfit have never taken a lead in the first half of their entire 2018-19 Champions League campaign. It's exactly the opposite for the Reds, who have grasped the lead in the first half in all of their Champions League wins this season.
#3 Liverpool became the first side since 2010 to win the final with less possession than the opposition
Though Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspurs in the final, the statistics favoured the runners-up.
Tottenham had 65% possession, while the Reds had just 35%. Thus, Liverpool became the second side with the least possession to win a Champions League final. The record is held by Inter Milan, who defeated Bayern Munich with just 33% possession back in 2010.
#2 Origi is just the second Belgian to score in a Champions League final
Divock Origi continued his blistering Champions League form of late as he scored the Reds' second goal last night.
It makes him the only second Belgian to score a goal in the European Cup/Champions League final. The first Belgian to achieve this honour was Yannick Carrasco for Atletico Madrid in 2016.
#1 Liverpool overtake Barcelona and Bayern Munich in terms of total European Cups/Champions Leagues won
Liverpool have now won the European Cup/UEFA Champions League for the sixth time in their history, only Real Madrid and AC Milan have won more premier European titles than the Reds.
Moreover, Liverpool's Champions League win sees them go a step ahead of European elites Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who have won the title five times each. The Reds' fifth Champions League triumph came in 2005 when Steven Gerrard and company beat AC Milan on penalties after trailing 3-0 at half-time in Istanbul.
