Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona: 5 Men who won the game for Klopp

Liverpool welcomed Barcelona to Anfield on Tuesday for an epic showdown in the UEFA Champions League. The two teams had been pitted against each other in the semi final of the tournament, and it was a contest between two of the best teams in Europe on current form. The La Liga giants had defeated Liverpool 3-0 in the first leg at the Camp Nou and Barcelona had traveled to England with an advantage in the second leg of the tie.

Liverpool, besides being three goals down, also had big problems of their own. Their season long quest for the Premier League trophy had drained them and with a game to go, they were still trailing to City by a point. And last weekend, they had lost Mohamed Salah to an injury in the win against Newcastle. The Egyptian joined Firmino in the sidelines for the game and it was a big blow for Liverpool.

Klopp had his selection worries but named a pretty strong team. He started with Alisson in goal, with Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Matip and Robertson as the back four. The midfield comprised of Henderson, Milner and Fabinho, while up front, Shaqiri and Origi partnered Mane in attack.

Liverpool started the game brilliantly and were a goal up in the 7th minute, through Origi. In the second half, Wijnaldum came on for Robertson and scored two quick fire goals to bring Liverpool level in the tie. Origi scored again in the 79th minute to give Liverpool a 4-0 lead on the night and a 4-3 aggregate lead in the tie. In the end it was enough to see them through.

On a night where the entire team played brilliantly, Jurgen Klopp will be extra pleased with the performance of these 5 men, who won them the game

#5 Jordan Henderson

Liverpool v Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Second Leg

The Liverpool Skipper was exceptional on the night. Henderson was a true leader on the pitch and fought for every ball like his life depended on it. He was the player who did not allow the Barcelona midfield to settle for a moment. Every time Barcelona tried to get into the groove, Henderson led his men into battle, breaking down the opposition moves and flying in tackles. Henderson pressed and pressed right until the last minute of the game and helped his team come away with a thumping win.

The Englishman was actually injured in the first half, but soldiered on. He was back helping out his defence whenever they were under pressure. He bombed forward whenever Liverpool had the ball. Barcelona failed to deal with Henderson’s energy and intensity and in many ways, Henderson was the epitome of the Liverpool way. His tenacity and desire was crucial to his team as they booked a place in the finals.

#4 Sadio Mane

Without Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, Jurgen Klopp only had Sadio Mane from his fabled front three on the pitch on the night. It meant that there was additional pressure on Mane to lead the young and inexperienced attack against a stellar Barcelona side. And, Mane certainly lived up to those expectations. Even though he could not score, Mane was brilliant on the night.

The Senegalese started on his usual position on the left, but had the freedom to drift across the front three. Every time he had the ball, Barcelona looked shaken. They could not deal with his pace and power, as Mane regularly drove past the defence and into the box. He was extremely good with the ball at his feet and took the fight to Barcelona right from the start. But even when he did not have the ball, the Senegalese was a monster on the field.

Mane showed great desire and attitude on the field. He was always pouncing on the loose balls, and his intent inspired the rest of the young attack to keep trying.

#3 Virgil van Dijk

In the first leg, the Dutchman was humiliated by a rampant Lionel Messi, who made him look insignificant. Virgil van Dijk received a lot of criticism for his performance, even though he did not commit any serious mistakes in that game. As such, the Liverpool defender was out to seek redemption on the night and looked possessed against Barcelona at Anfield.

Van Dijk was crucial to Liverpool neutralizing Lionel Messi. Every time the Argentinean got close to the box, van Dijk was on him in a flash. Messi actually had a great chance to score in the first half. However, it was van Dijk who came up with a crucial intervention and saved Liverpool.

The Dutchman did not put a foot wrong in the night and gave Liverpool the security to go all out on attack. Van Dijk was also crucial with his long balls from the back and it was from one of those balls that Liverpool scored the opening goal of the game.

#2 Georgino Wijnaldum

Jurgen Klopp watched Liverpool push Barcelona back for the entire first half. His team had gone ahead as early as the 7th minute, but had failed to find the goals that would have seen them sit more comfortably on the night. The German manager noticed this and hatched a plan of his own.

Andy Robertson picked up an injury in the first half and Klopp decided to go for a switch during half time. He brought on Wijnaldum and shifted Milner to the left back role. It was a risk, but in the end, it turned out to be the move that turned the game in their favour.

Barcelona had just readied themselves for more Liverpool onslaught when Wijnaldum hit them out of nowhere in the 54th minute. Liverpool were 2-0 up on the night and the stadium was beaming with hope. 2 minutes later, the Dutchman had scored again, getting Liverpool level on the night. He was the player that came on and changed the route of the game and secured progression into the Finals.

#1 Divock Origi

Liverpool were without Roberto Firmino once again, and Jurgen Klopp decided to go with young Origi to spearhead the attack on the night. The Belgian might have been nervous on the night, because there was a lot to achieve. The task at hand was next to impossible, and he also had to stand in for Liverpool’s regular striker. However, once the game started, Origi looked like he was born for nights like this.

In the 7th minute, Origi had given the home team the ray of hope they needed in the night. After Ter Stegen made a save from Henderson, the Belgian was in the right place at the right time to score the opening goal. From then on, the Barcelona defence struggled to deal with Origi. He was fast, he was full of trickery and he held the ball well. And in the 79th minute, he blew the lid off Anfield.

Credit must go to Alexander-Arnold for his quick thinking from the corner. Before Barcelona knew it, Origi had connected to a quick corner and scored the winner. It turned out to be the goal that sent Liverpool into the final.