Divock Origi was the unlikely hero as Liverpool pulled off the greatest semi-final comeback in Champions League history with a 4-0 second-leg victory to complete a stunning 4-3 aggregate triumph.
The odds were stacked heavily against Liverpool after both Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were ruled out with injury following a 3-0 first-leg defeat last week in Spain.
But Origi gave Liverpool hope with a seventh-minute goal at Anfield before Georginio Wijnaldum scored two quick second-half goals to level the tie, setting the stage for the Belgian to strike the decisive goal 11 minutes from time.
Liverpool will face Ajax or Tottenham in the final in Madrid on June 1 but here, we analyse the performance of the Origi.
STATISTICS
Goals – 2
Assists – 0
Shots – 2
Shots on target – 2
Touches – 30
Aerials won – 1
Crosses – 3
Dribbles – 3
30-SECOND REPORT
Origi wheels after scoring the winner
Genuinely, and this sentence will seem facetious but it’s not, the Belgian was better than Lionel Messi for 90 minutes.
He poached the early goal, displaying the typical striker trait of being in the right place at the right time to tap in after Marc-Andre ter Stegen had parried Jordan Henderson’s shot.
A first Champions League goal for the forward injected the crowd and himself with confidence. From there, he twisted and turned, galloped into space plus held the ball up superbly.
His second, was a sharply-taken strike as Alexander-Arnold’s genius corner bounced into his path.
GOT RIGHT
The Belgian opens the scoring for Liverpool
Physicality – Not just simply in the initial application of it, but the ability to bully his way into position to take a high ball then maneuver himself to retain possession. Liverpool were far more direct in this leg and Origi was able to deeply trouble Barca through this approach.
Energy – The absence of Roberto Firmino meant Liverpool lost a vital cog in their pressing machine. Origi filled the void with pure determination, incredible commitment, leaving every sinew of muscle fibre out on the Anfield pitch.
VERDICT
Jurgen Klopp spoke in the build-up about a potential beautiful failure, but through Origi’s pace, poise and aggression, they enjoyed a beautiful success. This was performance of his career.
RATING: 9/10
All statistics are compiled using whoscored.com
