User:Govnery/sandbox
| Event | 2018–19 UEFA Champions League | ||||||
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| Date | 7 May 2019 | ||||||
| Venue | Anfield, Liverpool | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Sadio Mané (Liverpool)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Cüneyt Çakir (Turkey) | ||||||
| Attendance | 52,212[2] | ||||||
| Weather | Cloudy 11 °C (52 °F) 63% humidity[3] | ||||||
On May 7th 2019, Liverpool faced Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League semi-final fixture at Anfield, having lost the first leg to the Spanish side 3–0 at the Camp Nou. Liverpool were the victors, winning 4–0 to secure a spot in the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final. The match is considered one of the greatest Champions League comebacks of all time.[4]
Background[edit]
Liverpool and Barcelona are two of the most supported clubs in world of football.[5] In the last fifteen years Barcelona had been the dominating force in club football, winning 34 major honours in that period including 10 La Liga titles. In that time frame however, Liverpool had only won three trophies, with one FA Community Shield, FA Cup, and League Cup. The two clubs had only played each other nine times before this match, with both teams record being three wins, three draws and three losses.
Pre-match[edit]
Liverpool's road to the semi-finals of the Champions League hadn't been easy, with their first game being a narrow 3–2 win over Paris Saint-Germain on matchday one[6] which was followed by unimpressive displays away from home. They scraped through the group with a 1–0 win over Napoli on the final matchday.[7] The Reds' dominant display against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the round of 16[8] was followed by a 2–0 win over Porto in the quarter-final first leg.[9] Liverpool eased past Porto again, 4–1 this time,[10] setting up semi-final against Barcelona.
The Catalans, on the other hand, eased through the group stage as winners. They were held to a 0–0 draw against Lyon in the round of 16,[11] before hammering them 5–1 in the second leg.[12] Barcelona then defeated Manchester United in the quarter-finals 4–0 over two legs.
In the first leg of the semi-finals at the Camp Nou, Barcelona defeated Liverpool 3–0, with goals coming from former Liverpool player Luis Suárez and a brace from Lionel Messi, while Liverpool missed several chances to score.[13]
Barcelona went into the second leg after a 2–0 loss to Celta Vigo in La Liga, though they rested every single one of the players that started this match, with the exception of Arturo Vidal, having already won the title.[14] Liverpool, on the other hand, were in an intense Premier League title race with Manchester City and needed a win to stay within reach of the Citizens. An 86th minute winning goal by substitute Divock Origi helped them defeat Newcastle United 3–2 at St James Park.[15]
Ahead of the second leg, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were ruled out for Liverpool through injury, while Barcelona's Ousmane Dembélé suffered an injury against Celta Vigo and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Match[edit]
Liverpool started the match the better side as Divock Origi opened the scoring seven minutes in after Jordan Henderson's shot was saved by Marc-André ter Stegen, and the Belgian capitalised with an easy tap-in on the follow up.
Barcelona had several chances in the first half, but Alisson of Liverpool made crucial saves to keep Liverpool in the tie.
Nine minutes into the second half Georginio Wijnaldum made it 2–0 after Trent Alexander-Arnold's deflected cross came into his path and he smashed it into the net. 122 seconds later the Dutch international got his second and Liverpool's third with a header after Xherdan Shaqiri's cross.
Divock Origi won the tie after Trent Alexander-Arnold took a quick corner and Origi got the fourth as he reacted quickest to the ball.
The match is considered to be one of the greatest comebacks in UEFA Champions League history. Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp described it as a "very special night",[16] whilst Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde admitted that Liverpool "rolled them over".[17]
Details[edit]
         Liverpool
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    Barcelona
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Match rules
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Statistics[edit]
| Statistic | Liverpool | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| Goals scored | 4 | 0 |
| Total shots | 13 | 8 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 5 |
| Saves | 5 | 3 |
| Ball possession | 45% | 55% |
| Corner kicks | 7 | 6 |
| Fouls committed | 12 | 9 |
| Offsides | 1 | 2 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 3 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Post-match[edit]
Jürgen Klopp described the match as special and unforgettable,[16] and Valverde said: "They have been really strong, they played really well. We've got to congratulate them on the performance they put up in the tie as a whole. "It is a terrible result for our fans and for ourselves. We didn't expect a situation like this. This is what has happened to us. It is really, really unfortunate but credit is due to Liverpool."[19] Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk added to that in saying "We always believed that we could pull of a miracle."
Aftermath[edit]
Five days later, Liverpool wrapped up their Premier League campaign with a 2–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, finishing with 97 points, in second place behind Manchester City who got 98 points.[20] Liverpool's Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah both collected the Golden Boot, also joint with Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with 22 goals each.[21] The Reds then won the UEFA Champions League for the sixth time in their history, defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2–0 in the final.
Barcelona's manager Ernesto Valverde was sacked in January 2020 and many fans believe that the 4–0 loss was the catalyst for the sacking.[22] Barcelona finished up their La Liga season with a 2–0 win over Getafe at home[23] before a 2–2 draw at Eibar on the final day.[24] They then lost the Copa del Rey Final against Valencia.[25]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Liverpool 4–0 Barcelona (4–3 agg): Jurgen Klopp's side complete extraordinary comeback". BBC Sport. 7 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Full Time Summary Semi-finals 2nd Leg – Liverpool v Barcelona" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ "Tactical line-ups - Semi-finals 2nd Leg - Tuesday 7 May 2019 - Anfield - Liverpool" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
- ^ "Tottenham & Liverpool: Greatest Champions League comebacks of all time". BBC Sport. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Football clubs with most fans in the world". SportMob. 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Liverpool 3–2 PSG: 'Reds carry on where they left off last season in Champions League'". BBC Sport. 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Liverpool 1–0 Napoli: Salah scores as Reds reach Champions League knockout stage". BBC Sport. 11 December 2018.
- ^ "Bayern Munich 1–3 Liverpool (agg 1–3): Sadio Mane & Virgil van Dijk goals see off German champions". BBC Sport. 13 March 2019.
- ^ "Liverpool 2–0 Porto: Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino put Reds in control". April 9, 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "FC Porto 1–4 Liverpool: Comfortable win sets up Barcelona showdown". BBC Sport. April 17, 2019.
- ^ "Lyon 0–0 Barcelona: Catalans held to fourth draw in five games". BBC Sport. 19 February 2019.
- ^ "Barcelona 5–1 Lyon: Lionel Messi scores twice as Catalans progress in Champions League". BBC Sport. 13 March 2019.
- ^ "Barcelona 3–0 Liverpool: Lionel Messi double stuns Reds in Champions League semi-final". BBC Sport. 1 May 2019.
- ^ "Celta Vigo 2–0 Barcelona: Spanish champions rest Messi, Suarez & Pique in shock defeat". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019.
- ^ "Newcastle 2–3 Liverpool: Divock Origi's late winner ensures title race goes to last day". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Liverpool 4–0 Barcelona: Jürgen Klopp's reaction". Liverpool FC.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8nvY_6wKS4
- ^ "Full Time Summary Semi-finals 2nd Leg – Liverpool v Barcelona" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ Pearce, James (7 May 2019). "This is what stunned Barcelona boss Valverde said after comeback". liverpoolecho.
- ^ "Liverpool 2–0 Wolves: Reds fall short in title bid despite win over Wolves". BBC Sport. 12 May 2019.
- ^ "Premier League Player Stats – Goals". Premier League.
- ^ Addison, Matt (January 14, 2020). "Coutinho, Origi and Liverpool role in Barca sacking Valverde". Liverpool Echo.
- ^ "FC Barcelona – Getafe | La Liga Matchday 37 – FC Barcelona". www.fcbarcelona.com.
- ^ "Eibar – FC Barcelona | La Liga Matchday 38 – FC Barcelona". www.fcbarcelona.com.
- ^ "FC Barcelona – Valencia CF | Copa Del Rey Final – FC Barcelona". www.fcbarcelona.com.