EPL midfielder Jordan Henderson reveals secret behind Liverpool's UCL triumph

EPL midfielder Jordan Henderson has revealed what led to Liverpool's Champions League triumph under his captaincy. They won it at the second time of trying after his side were brushed aside by Real Madrid in 2018.

Henderson, an accomplished cog and an able leader under one of EPL's finest managers in Jurgen Klopp, explained that failures in many finals built a larger appetite within the club's players.

The to-be EPL champions' skipper added that the preparations leading up to the game were top-notch, which added to an extra sense of belief.

EPL powerhouse Liverpool had suffered a meaty blow against Real Madrid in Kiev

It had been 13 years since the EPL giants had experienced that night in Istanbul. They headed into the game against the title holders Real Madrid in 2018 in high spirits, but a Gareth Bale special coupled with a howler from Loris Karius handed a massive heartbreak to Klopp and company.

Liverpool however, returned to the same stage the following season against fellow EPL side Tottenham Hotspur, eventually running out as 2-0 winners on a tense night where there were 85 minutes between the two goals.

EPL midfielder Henderson on how Liverpool adapted

Liverpool celebrating their UCL victory in 2019 after 2-0 win against EPL rivals Spurs

Embracing what he labelled as the 'best feeling' of his life, Henderson mentioned that learning from the entire experience of being in the finals twice in as many years aided the win.

Speaking to the EPL club's official website on what he took from the Kiev heartbreak, he remarked:

"I think the experience of playing in a Champions League final, you can’t really underestimate that. A lot of us had been there the year before and experienced that and I think it did help us come the second time around. Just that experience, game-management stuff within the game, how you would feel prior to the game and the adrenaline.

Easy work for @JHenderson 😎🎯 pic.twitter.com/jkOAgWtF5b

— Liverpool FC (at 🏠) (@LFC) June 5, 2020

It was always going to be an advantage for Liverpool over EPL and London giants Spurs owing to the larger squad depth. More so, they had the experience of having played in various European finals before. Henderson admitted that learning from the entire cycle of a UCL final defeat helped significantly the following season. He said:

"I think again, just learning from the whole experience. In the first time around I still felt that we could go and win the game, of course. I felt we were still in a good place, we prepared really well for the game and going into the game we felt really good."

Time flies 🏅 pic.twitter.com/ueFTPXbja1

— Trent Alexander-Arnold (@trentaa98) June 1, 2020

Lastly and quite importantly, the England international added that missing out on the EPL title to Manchester City by just a couple of points boosted the team's motivation as well. He further elucidated:

That was another big factor. [EPL] Not only that but prior finals over the years that we have been involved in, the Europa League final as well, League Cup final that we lost. All of them things you sort of learn from and it gives you even more hunger to go out there and put things right and improve. Every time we have faced that adversity we have bounced back in a really good way.

The Reds are well on course to lifting a much-awaited EPL title in a few weeks. Henderson and his charges will have take each game as it comes, but know full well that another historic day in their rich history is not too far away.

They resume their EPL journey against fierce rivals Everton on June 21.