Jurgen Klopp’s emotional reunion with the Signal Iduna Park ended in a 1-1 draw as his Liverpool side were denied victory by his former side Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the quarter-finals in the Europa League.
On his first return to his old stomping ground since leaving the Westfalenstadion in 2015, emotions were expectedly running high. However, Klopp meant business when Liverpool got their noses ahead after Divock Origi struck just nine minutes from half-time.
The Reds appeared to be cruising to a dream victory at Dortmund, but Mats Hummels threw a spanner in their works when he struck a header three minutes into the second half to level the scores.
The teams huffed and puffed in search of a winner, but to no avail as it ended honours even, leaving the tie keenly poised heading into the second leg at Anfield in a week’s time.
Here are the major talking points emerged from the top-billing Europa League clash.
1) A warm homecoming for Klopp
Former Borussia Dortmund honcho Jurgen Klopp reunited with his old club for the first time since stepping down from the managerial job after the 3-1 defeat to Wolfsburg in the DFB-Pokal Cup final last year, and received a warm welcome.
The tie between Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool was obviously going to be a top-draw one, but Klopp’s return to Dortmund was all that hogged the limelight in the pre-match build-up.
After all, with five titles under his belt and a Champions League final appearance in seven glorious years at the helm, he was still the ruling king of the hearts of all Dortmund fans.
He may have failed to grab a win in the game, but Liverpool’s draw wasn’t disappointing, and one which keeps his side in the driving seat for the second leg at home.
2) Origi gamble pays off
Daniel Sturridge may be Liverpool’s biggest danger man, but Jurgen Klopp seems to pin his faith on the young Belgian dynamite Divock Origi. Once again the 20-year-old started ahead of Sturridge, and once again he did not let his manager down.
His pace, athleticism and work-rate caused all kinds of trouble to the hosts and even put his side ahead with a nice finish from inside the box. Origi has been thriving under the tutelage of Klopp and now has five goals under the German.
3) Julian Weigl gives a peak into the future
Borussia Dortmund’s signing of Julian Weigl from second division side 1860 Munich last summer caused a few eyebrows to raise, but with time, the German youngster has shown his immense potential on the field.
In his debut season at BVB, the 20-year-old has already managed over 40 senior appearances, accentuating his importance to Thomas Tuchel’s machinations.
Against Liverpool last evening, Weigl was once again at it as his quick, short passes and ability to open up defences injected more fluidity to the home side’s attack, whilst also dropping deep to contribute at the back.
Weigl has turned out to be one of the most promising talents currently plying their trade in Germany and appears to be the one bearing the torch for Dortmund someday in future.
4) Sakho leaves everyone nonplussed with his brilliance
Liverpool centre-back Mamadou Sakho hasn’t quite been a fan favourite at the Kop despite three years into his stint at Merseyside. The Frenchman has more often than not, come as a substitute and never really earned a regular spot in the team. However, after his performance in Dortmund last night, all that may just change.
The former PSG man pulled a zinger for one of the best performances of his career as he kept out Dortmund’s stellar attacking line-up at arm’s length for large spells of the game.
Sakho always kept an eye on Dortmund’s movements and constantly threw himself to block the hosts’ efforts. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, in particular, had the entire goal at his mercy in the first half, but Sakho’s superb interception denied the Armenian from breaking the deadlock.
It was one of those rare games where Sakho truly stole the limelight with an absolute belter of a performance, and will have to repeat it in the second leg at Anfield if Liverpool are to progress.
5) All eyes on Anfield next week
Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool emerged as the front-runners for the Europa League title this season once the last eight teams in the competition were decided.
With the likes of Napoli, Fiorentina, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Valencia all driven out in the last 16, the door was left ajar for the two biggest sides remaining in the Europa League.
Although holders and back-to-back winners Sevilla are outside challengers for yet another Europa crown, the might of Dortmund and Liverpool are just too big for them at the moment. Both teams have impressed their way to the quarter-finals, and the one that advances to the last four will be highly touted to lift the trophy in May.
With the tie on a knife’s edge, all eyes have now turned to Anfield for the second leg of this exciting match-up.
