Memorable moments: Klopp told his players they couldn’t give Barcelona a top four. Yet they did

Corner taken quickly, Lionel Messi’s direct kick or Arturo Vidal’s testicle. There were several stories in the 2018/19 Champions League double-header Liverpool vs. Barcelona (4: 3), but 180 minutes of great football is a story in itself.

When the Champions League draw determined that Barcelona would challenge Liverpool among the top four teams in the competition, this encounter was considered an early final given the other pairing of Tottenham vs. Ajax.

In any case, the two teams went into the match in different mindsets. While Barcelona were assured of the La Liga title, Liverpool were a point behind leaders Manchester City. And the domestic competition was an extreme motivation, the Reds had been waiting 29 years for the title by then.

Despite the final result, the match at Camp Nou was fairly even. Until the 75th minute, the home side led thanks to Luis Suarez, but otherwise it was a draw. Barcelona were supported by three great saves from Marc André ter Stegen.

In the 75th minute, Lionel Messi made it 2-0, and seven minutes later, Argentina converted one of the most iconic direct kicks in history to make it a three-goal difference. Ousmane Dembele could have added the final seal, but he failed to score in front of the goalkeeper.

At the time, the French international didn’t even think that he would miss this goal. Even Jürgen Klopp admitted that he said in the locker room before the game that he didn’t believe in progression at all. That giving Barcelona four goals with Messi was unrealistic.

Anyway, the Reds took the lead in the sixth minute when Divock Origi scored. It could have been all over when Messi’s big chance was saved by Alisson. Let’s not forget that the away goals rule was still in force then.

Liverpool, playing well, struck a second time after the change of sides. Neither Mohamed Salah nor Roberto Firmino were healthy for the rematch, with the Reds’ key man coming on just as the second half started. It was Georginio Wijnaldum.

Right in the 54th minute, the Dutch international tapped in a ball from the right side from a volley and increased the lead thanks to a slight hesitation from ter Stegen. Two minutes later, the double match started again when Wijnaldum headed a cross from the other side to the bar.

The broadcast director switched between the faces of the Barcelona players, which showed incomprehension and dismay all in one. The Catalans clearly wanted to see the game through to extra time as they were under the blanket. But they failed to do so.

The weight of the three goals conceded became apparent in the 79th minute. An unfocused Barcelona defence failed to register Origi in the whitewash before a corner kick. Trent Alexander Arnold played a quick and accurate cross and the Belgian international made no mistake.

The strength of the atmosphere at Anfield and the mental state of Barcelona combined to mean that the Reds finished the game relatively calmly. They also handled the subsequent final against Tottenham with ease, lifting the trophy 2-0.

It wasn’t so cheerful in the Premier League. Liverpool won the final five rounds, but Manchester City took 15 points from those matches. Still, the Champions League triumph trumped all, for it was perhaps their most memorable season.

For a reminder, it was graced by the legendary double-headers between Ajax and Real Madrid, Juventus and Tottenham, and Tottenham’s shootout with the Citizens until the last second.

Source: UEFA