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Liverpool qualified for a second consecutive Champions League final as Barcelona stuttered on their road to European glory yet again in a similar fashion to last year's shambolic showing at the Stadio Olimpico against AS Roma. Lionel Messi & Co. failed to live up to their promise made to a packed Camp Nou and a few millions sitting at home, and this defeat will live long in the hearts and minds of all Barcelona fans and players alike.
Jurgen Klopp was without two of his three star forwards, as Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah were not fit enough to be a part of the game and the German did not want to take a risk with the health of either of his superstars.
In the pre-game presser, he'd been cautiously optimistic over his side's chances against the Spanish champions, who'd played a mediocre game but went to Anfield with a slightly misleading 3-0 lead, as Messi magic powered a sub-par side to what seemed a certain spot in the final.
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The German laughed when reporters pitched the idea of his side scoring 4 goals and not conceding at the same time. He said his side would give it their all, and urged the Anfield faithful to make Barcelona players aware that they've come to one of the, if not the most, daunting away stadiums to play in.
The home side fielded a depleted XI, as Shaqiri and Origi took place of Salah and Fimino and Jordan Henderson started in place of the injured Naby Keita, Milner for Wijnaldum and Trent Alexander Arnold came back in for Joe Gomez. Ernesto Valverde, who'd had the brilliant idea of giving most of his stars the weekend off fielded the same XI from the first leg as his side were certain of their place in the final before actually getting there.
The game started at a crisp pace and Liverpool piled a great deal of pressure on Barcelona, not letting them get arond their penalty area till after Origi had capitalised on a critical error from Ter Stegen, as the German parried Henderson's shot into a dangerous area, and Origi was there to give Liverpool the crucial goal, as he has so often this season. He scored in consecutive games for the first time since April 2017, more than 750 days, and his status at Anfield after tonight has never been higher.
Allison was forced into making a few smart saves, and he justified the massive outlay on him in the summer by keeping the visitors out, who didn't have their usual spark, passing languidly and making far too many errors, as the home side always seemed to be snapping into challenges and coming away with everything on the night.
With the introduction of Wijnaldum Liverpool seemed to find another gear, despite Andy Robertson, one of their key contributors in attack going off injured. The Dutchman scored 2 goals in 12 mins after coming on as the tie was levelled up in just 56 mins of football in Liverpool. Barcelona were made to toil for the entire game, and Divock Origi capitalised on yet another Barca error as TAA took a quick corner and caught the defense napping, and the Belgian striker was left with the simplest of tap ins to give Liverpool the goal they needed to go through.
After that, Virgil Van Dijk and Jordan Henderson organised their team in the most compact, counter attacking shape, soaking all the Barcelona pressure and trying to hit them on the break, and it almost worked as they tried to get a fifth. Liverpool were denied by some Gareth Bale heroics last year, but the onus is now on them to beat either Tottenham or Ajax to lift the Champions League trophy after more than a decade for the club.
Here are winners and losers from tonight's gigantic comeback
Winner - Liverpool Bench
Liverpool are a great side. That's not anybody's opinion at this point, that's just a fact. And it has been one for most of Jurgen Klopp's time at Anfield, as time and time again, he and his team have shown they are capable of anything on their day. But tonight was a different story, as tonight the odds were stacked against Klopp and his men as they never have been before. They had to defeat the mighty Barcelona by four goals and keep out the one of the greatest players of all time whilst doing so. And they had to do that without 2 of their 3 star forwards.
I personally did not think they have a chance, but tuned in just to see how Messi and his troops fare at Anfield. To think, if you'd have said a year ago that Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri will be making crucial contributions in a Champions League Semi final tie, you'd have been laughed out of the room as if you were a flat-earther. Crazy world, crazy game.
Loser - Philippe Coutinho
Last January was truly monumental for Liverpool, and could one day be looked back as the transfer window that began Liverpool's ascendance back to the upper echelons of European football. Liverpool sold star man Coutinho to FC Barcelona for an initial £105 million, rising up to a £142 million in bonuses and appearance clauses. That money helped Liverpool buy Naby Keita and Virgil Van Dijk, both of whom will certainly be pillars of the Liverpool side we will see for years to come.
The flashy little Brazilian wanted to leave in search for trophies and success, both of which he certainly will get at Barcelona, but his status has certainly taken a nosedive, as he is no longer the same kind of attacking threat as he was during his time at Liveprool, mostly due to the role he now fulfills in the system at Barcelona.
Instead of having the game go through him, he's just another guy in the team now. Not that that's a bad thing, especially when you're at Barca. His team's defeat and elimination at Anfield feels a bit like make-believe, but it's also quite poetic.
Winner - Liverpool's English contingent
Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Trent Alexander-Arnold are three Englishmen who really are at the core of this Liverpool side. Henderson and Milner are really the leaders, and Alexander-Arnold is a generational talent at right-back.
Alexander-Arnold must truly have removed any doubts Klopp or anyone had in their minds about his ability to be an attacking threat whilst not being a defensive liability, as the 20-year-old seems to be growing in spurts with each passing game, staking his claim as one of the world's best right-backs.
James Milner has been around all my life as a football fan, and he doesn't look a day older than the first time I saw him play when he was at Aston Villa back in 2008. At least when he steps on a football field, that is, as his performance levels seem to be getting better as he's aging.
He can still run for days, and his tactical astuteness means he's every manager's dream, filling in any and all roles his manager asks of him with such ease as if it's a cakewalk for him.
A truly gifted player who deserves to lift the big ears at least once in his glittering, evergreen career. While we're on the topic of players who deserve glory, let's talk about Jordan Henderson, who's made a scapegoat everytime Liverpool fail to perform well and he is in the side, but never appreciated when everyone around him flourishes.
Tonight was a prime example of what Jordan Henderson brings to the table for Liverpool, leading his team with composure and never letting it slip against one of the best sides in the world at such a crucial stage. His passing may not be as good as Busquets and his defending may not be as clutch as Casemiro, but Henderson is a true champion, and he does not get the recognition he deserves for his performances, which let others around him flourish.
Loser - Barcelona Fans
Yet another year without the trophy that the Barcelona fans truly want. Watching their nemesis Real Madrid lift four out of the last five Champions League crowns has been frustrating for the Cules, who've failed to qualify for the final since 2015 when they won against Paul Pogba's Juventus.
Atletico, Juventus, Roma and now Liverpool - Barcelona seems to be at the top of their game every time they're at home and in the league. But away ties for them in the past four seasons in the knockout stages have been supremely tricky, as they lose all their verve and style and play with a great deal of fear for some reason.
Liverpool looked a class apart tonight against Barcelona, and at times, it felt as if Barcelona were playing a pre-season friendly, as Messi was casually strolling around for large periods, and he was Barcelona's best, if not only, attacking threat on the night. Buying players left and right for the sake of it won't do anything until Barcelona fix their attitude and stop feeling entitled after only getting half the job done.
Winner - Jurgen Klopp and his All Stars
Jurgen Klopp has a reputation amongst a small but very loud section of supporters, who believe that he is an almost man. His sides seem to have everything needed to get to the finale, only to stumble at the last moment and miss out on what they worked for all year. But this time it's different.
Not just the fact that they are in the final and will face either of Tottenham or Ajax, both of whom are certainly not better than Barcelona, but the way that they bossed one of the very best teams in Europe. And it was down to the German tactician's masterplan, as he silenced one of the world's best attacks, whilst getting a far from full strength XI to score four goals against one of Spain's best defenses.
The players he has brought into the club to be the cornerstones of the success he desires have all settled into life superbly, as even Naby Keita seemed to be getting in the groove before his untimely injury in the first leg.
Mohamed Salah, wearing a t-shirt saying 'Never Give Up', will forever be remembered for this alongside the dozens of goals he's already scored for the club.
Van Dijk was himself tonight, and the world has spoken enough about his brilliance. He truly is the best centre-back in the World, and has been since he joined Liverpool, steadying one of the leakiest rearguards in Europe.
Alisson Becker was on the winning side in a knockout tie against Barca for a second year in a row, and he showed exactly why Liverpool paid the astronomical sum they paid for him.
