It was perhaps the one of the most outrageous comebacks in Champions League history as Liverpool overturned a 3-0 deficit to hammer in four goals at Anfield to leave Barcelona in ruins and stunned. Jurgen Klopp's men have now screamed into their second successive UEFA Champions League final.
This result was even more stunning as Liverpool went into the game without star attacking duo of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino. This, however, did not deter the home side as Divock Origi -- who got to start --, as well as Georginio Wijnaldum, both found the back of the net twice to leave Barcelona stunned and out of Champions League.
The move that changed the game was Trent Alexander-Arnold's low cross that picked out Wijnaldum perfectly and was hammered by him under Marc Andre ter Stegen. Later, Xherdan Shaqiri lobbed a perfect cross to Wijnaldum which was also knocked into the back of the net to seal the win and a spot in the Final.
"With any other team, I wouldn't think it was possible. They are really mentality giants," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said. "It is unbelievable the season we had, the games we had, the injuries we had now.
"Going out there and putting in a performance like this on the pitch is unbelievable. I am really proud to be the manager of this team. What they did tonight was really special. I will remember it forever," he further added.
They now await the winner of the game between Ajax and Tottenham Hotspurs in the final on June 1 in Madrid as the Reds will aim for their sixth European title.
The stunning Barcelona collapse
The scenes were in complete contrast on the other corner as Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde was left floundering around for words. This was his second major setback in Europe in two years. Last year, the La Liga champs were ousted by Roma after they wilted in the second round of Quarter-finals despite leading 4-1 in the first-leg.
"The most hurtful thing is to repeat it. When you have a collapse of this nature we will have a few horrible days ahead," said Valverde.
Liverpool legends react
For Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen, this comeback was nothing short of spectacular as they saluted the effort and mental strength of the side and the belief of the players.
"You know when you talk about the great nights, this is the best ever. It's absolutely incredible. Before the game, we were talking about all the superlatives we can about Messi. We can run out of superlatives for Liverpool," Fowler told BT Sport.
Michael Owen was ecstatic and echoed the sentiment that the fantastic season was not over yet and that it was only football which could have done this.
"The emotions that this place evokes on nights like these, there hasn't been a better night than this. They took it out of Barcelona's hands - the spirit, the heart shown by this squad, and that all starts from the top. That starts from Klopp," former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand jumped in with the accolades.
It was not a perfect start to begin with as Andy Robertson was off action at half-time and was replaced by Wijnaldum which made James Milner to hop across to left-back. In the end though, it all turned out to be perfect for the home team. If only, they can repeat this kind of showing in the Final, they might be unstoppable.
