Jurgen Klopp said reaching a third Champions League final in five seasons with Liverpool was as good as the first after his side bounced back from a tough first half to beat Villarreal on a throbbing night in eastern Spain.
Liverpool conceded twice before the break and with a 2-2 aggregate score. The stadium shook as Villarreal advertised their stunning comeback. But inspired by the entry of Luis Diaz at half-time, Liverpool regained the balance and won 3-2 that evening and 5-2 overall.
Fabinho, Diaz and Sadio Mane scored goals to set up the final against Real Madrid or Manchester City in Paris, and Mohamed Salah hoped it would be the first. Salah wants to avenge his 2018 final defeat to Real Madrid when Sergio Ramos knocked him out. “I want to play with Real Madrid, I have to be honest,” said Salah. “I hope we win against them too.”
Klopp was overjoyed, especially the mental toughness his players showed in the second half. “Outstanding, massive – it’s like the first one because it’s always so special,” the manager said. “I love it, its sound… all night long.
“It feels so special because it was so difficult for us. Before the game, I told the guys that I wanted the headlines to reflect the worldview of the monsters in the city. I wanted it from the first moment, but the second half was like that. The way we came back in the second half was so special. It was a top performance.”
Klopp wanted to show his players one spot in between what was good in the first half to give them a boost. But assistant manager Pete Kravitz told him there was nothing. Diaz helped turn the tide when he replaced Diogo Jota.
“But the problem is not Hoth in the first half – we had 11 problems in the first half,” Klopp said. “The beginning was really difficult. We looked like we were impressed with them. We didn’t have a real swing and we played in the wrong places. We played into their hands. Our thoughts were wrong. We felt pressure. It was a football problem in the first half. And we had to solve it with football.”
Klopp made history by becoming the first English club manager to reach the League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League finals in the same season. “It’s really hard — that’s why no one has ever done this before,” he said. “We will make sure we are ready for these finals. We will try. That’s for sure.”
Yangablog.com is the official blog site of YGT Ltd.