Even manager Jurgen Klopp admitted he didn't think it would happen, despite undying trust in his players. The Reds turned over a 3-0 deficit against the Spanish giants, stacked with some of the biggest names in football. Put Lionel Messi to the side for a moment. Arguably, every player in the Barcelona squad would walk into most English Premier League teams, if not all of them. Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Gerard Pique, Sergio Roberto, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho are all prestigious talents that command fear by their names alone. Combine that talent with Messi and you have an offensive powerhouse that should overrun any side in Europe. And that's what they did the entire competition, until the opening whistle at Anfield. Liverpool played very well at the Nou Camp seven days ago, but couldn't capitalise on some great chances and paid the ultimate price. But on Wednesday morning, they showed the footballing world that nothing should be taken for granted, when it comes to the 'beautiful game'. Klopp inspired his troops through self-belief and tactics. Barcelona couldn't contain Liverpool's wide threat, or the powerful midfield combination of Jordan Henderson and the outstanding Fabinho. The combined weekly salary of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson is in the ballpark of NZ$200,000. Suarez earns roughly NZ$600,000 a week, yet both young wing-backs proved their worth lies far deeper than their pay cheque. Liverpool's dramatic comeback win marked the first time in Champions League history a side had overturned a first-leg semi-final deficit of three goals or more.<doc-sep>(CNN) The world's most popular sport has just seen three consecutive nights of wonder, the likes of which few fans have ever seen before -- or will probably ever see again. For a section of North London, Wednesday night was the stuff of dreams . Trailing youthful upstart Ajax 1-0 going into the second leg in Amsterdam, Spurs' tails were down and hopes of the club's first UEFA Champions League final looking bleak. The final 3-3 aggregate scoreline seemed unfathomable 35 minutes in, when Ajax moved two goals ahead on the night courtesy of Matthijs de Ligt's header and Hakim Ziyech's fine strike, but a stunning Lucas Moura hat-trick turned the night around in spectacular style, with Spurs winning thanks to the away goals rule. Tottenham's Brazilian forward Lucas Moura celebrates with teammates at the end of the UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg match. As the game moved into the final minute of stoppage time with the game poised at 2-2 on the night, Moura produced his final moment of magic to send Tottenham through and leave the young Ajax side stunned, and football fans -- and commentators -- delirious. 🤯 "I've never seen anything like this! Oh my God!" 🤯 It wasn't a dream. Tottenham's extraordinary fightback - the latest in an unforgettable Champions League campaign! Relive Spurs' jawdropping night in Amsterdam with #NoFilterUCL . pic.twitter.com/la27iJLJfz But as stunning as it was, Spurs' late win was arguably second fiddle to the preceding night, with English club Liverpool completing one of the great Champions League comebacks to knock out the mighty Barcelona and reach a second consecutive Champions League final. Coming back from a three-goal deficit to inflict a stunning 4-3 defeat on the Catalans, it had shades of the northwest club's famous 2005 Champions League final win over AC Milan, in which it came back from three goals at half time to stun the Italians in a penalty shootout to raise the cup for the fifth time. The Champions League heroics were the icing on the week which began with Manchester City's stunning rescue in the English Premier League, at the unlikely hands of captain Vincent Kompany. The club legend is known as a stalwart defender, but it was at the other end of the pitch that he made the difference -- his wonder strike against Leicester, a screamer from outside the box into the top right hand corner -- looked all but set for City to retain the Premier League title under Pep Guardiola. Kompany said he'd been telling people for years that he'd score a goal "like that" -- a potential candidate for goal of the season -- and it could prove decisive to Manchester club lifting the trophy come this weekend. "I could hear people saying 'Don't shoot, don't shoot!'. I've not come this far in my career to have young players tell me when to shoot! "For 15 years, I've told people I'll score one like that" - @ManCity match-winner @VincentKompany pic.twitter.com/8vgN6KKUWm — Premier League (@premierleague) May 6, 2019 Can the momentum be sustained? English clubs' European adventures continue Thursday evening, with both Chelsea and Arsenal vying for a spot in the Europa League final. The two London clubs each hold a respective advantage -- Chelsea scored a potentially decisive away goal against Eintracht Frankfurt in its 1-1 first-leg draw ahead of the return fixture at Stamford Bridge -- while Arsenal came from behind to wrap up a 3-1 first-leg win over Valencia to give it a slim cushion for the other semifinal second leg in Spain. If the cards fall right for the two English Premier League teams, and they come through the Thursday night games triumphant, they will meet in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 29 -- just days before the all-English Champions League final at Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano stadium. If it comes to pass, it would be an unprecedented display of strength from a single country -- no domestic league has ever provided all four finalists for Europe's top two competitions. JUST WATCHED Copa90: Guardiola reveals coaching secrets - to pub team Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Copa90: Guardiola reveals coaching secrets - to pub team 05:00 Curtain call on thrilling season Before the European showcases, however, the incredible English Premier League week will culminate Sunday, when the league wraps with all 20 teams simultaneously kicking off at 3 p.m. local time (10 a.m ET). City's Monday night triumph kept it in pole position for the Premier League title, one point clear of Liverpool, which has kept the pressure up on its title rivals in its dogged pursuit of first a title since 1990. Few would bet against City putting Brighton to the sword on Sunday to retain its crown, especially with Liverpool handed a trickier draw against Wolves, which sit in seventh place after a surprisingly robust season, including wins against Chelsea, Spurs, Man United and Arsenal. Next year's Champions League places, awarded to the top four finishers, are all but decided, with City, Liverpool and Chelsea guaranteed the top three slots. But Arsenal fans will be hoping a high-scoring away win at Burnley, coupled with a Spurs collapse at home against Everton will see the Gunners pip fourth on goal difference and leapfrog its arch rival into the final Champions League spot. A back door to Europe for the north London teams, should either finish in fifth, could come in the form of winning their current European competition -- the Champions League for Spurs; Europa League for Arsenal -- as the cup winners are given an automatic bye to next season's premier European football competition.<doc-sep>When everything changed, there were suddenly seven, eight, maybe even nine Ajax players flat out on the pitch, their faces buried into the turf, not wanting to see any more. Somehow, Spurs had done it and in those moments we were reminded, once again, about the glories of this sport, about how brutal football can be and how, every once in a while, there is a story that can make your bones vibrate. We have had two of them in quick succession bearing in mind Liverpool’s destruction of Barcelona the previous night. It will be an all-Premier League final in Madrid on 1 June and when Lucas Moura completed his hat-trick, five minutes into stoppage time, it was one of those rare occasions for every single member of the Spurs travelling party when it must have felt like the blood in their veins had been converted into the finest of red wine. Suddenly, there were players, coaches, substitutes and various members of backroom staff running across the pitch in jagged diagonal lines to join in the scrum beneath the away end. As etiquette goes, it was reminiscent of America’s Ryder Cup players trampling over the 17th green at Brookline in 1999. Yet, amid all the euphoria, perhaps the boys from White Hart Lane, as most of us would still rather call it, could be forgiven for overlooking that the game was still not, strictly speaking, over. There was still a minute to play before everything was confirmed and the Spurs fans in that far corner could start trying to make sense of a baffling, beautiful victory, having seen their team come back from 2-0 down on the night and 3-0 on aggregate. Or, to put it another way, a place where there no longer seemed to be any lingering hope. Mauricio Pochettino leads the post-match celebrations. Photograph: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images Until the ball came the way of Moura in stoppage time, it was shaping up to be a night of grievous disappointment for Mauricio Pochettino and his players. They had clawed their way back to 2-2 but Ajax were still ahead on aggregate and, with the clock ticking down, it had seemed as though the team wearing the Premier League’s badge would leave Amsterdam with so many what-ifs. What if Jan Vertonghen’s 87th-minute header had gone in rather than thudding off the crossbar? What if they had started better rather than letting Ajax build that first-half lead? What if Harry Kane had been fit, rather than watching the game in a coat, when the team needed one more goal to change everything? But then the clock ticked into the 96th minute and suddenly the ball was on Moura’s left foot. Again, Dele Alli, who chose an ideal night to rediscover his best form, had set him up. It was their final chance of an epic, lyrical night. And the ball was with the right player. All night, Moura had given the impression he was utterly determined nobody would end up blaming it all on Kane’s absence. Moura had already scored twice for Spurs in the second half and those goals, in the 55th and 59th minutes, changed the complexion of the evening. It was a brilliantly gutsy recovery and when Spurs needed a bit of luck they got that, too, in the form of Hakim Ziyech’s shot ricocheting off the post. 02:51 Mauricio Pochettino credits Spurs 'superheroes' for Champions League triumph over Ajax – video Pochettino had brought on Fernando Llorente to replace Victor Wanyama at the interval. Spurs had gambled and, for the first time, they started to pin back their opponents. Ajax were sitting on their lead and it was a mistake. It encouraged Spurs to pour forward. Moura put in his first goal, running through the middle to drill in a left-foot shot, and suddenly their hopes were invigorated. Quick Guide Tottenham v Liverpool: the Champions League final Show The venue: Estadio Metropolitano, Madrid (Saturday 1 June, 8pm) A new venue for the Champions League showpiece and it hosts the first final since 2015 not to feature at least one Madrid team. Atlético spent around £200m overhauling the 20,000 capacity Estadio La Peineta in the Las Rojas neighbourhood before moving in September 2017. It will hold 63,500 for the final, with 17,000 tickets allocated to each club. Demolition of Atlético’s former home, the Vicente Calderón stadium, began in February. This season's meetings Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool (15 Sept, Wembley) Liverpool made it five wins out of five at the start of the season with a deserved victory. Goals came from Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino either side of the break before Erik Lamela’s consolation in stoppage time. Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham (31 March, Anfield) Last-gasp drama as the match headed for a draw: Toby Alderweireld prodded the ball into his own net to hand Liverpool a vital three points after Lucas Moura’s second-half effort had cancelled out Firmino’s early strike. The history It will be the second all-English final after Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties in Moscow 11 years ago. Liverpool have won the European Cup five times: 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984 and most recently under Rafael Benítez in 2005. A sixth win would lift them to third behind Real Madrid (13 wins) and Milan (seven). Tottenham have reached their first European Cup final in their fifth campaign. They won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963 and Uefa Cup in 1972 and 1984.<doc-sep>Champions League: Pundits debate if Liverpool or Spurs will win HERE for the latest MUFC breaking news and transfer updates SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign upfor the latest MUFC breaking news and transfer updates When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. At least, he adds with a glint in his eye, that is what he has read. “I keep seeing my name that I’m being sold, so if that’s the case and it’s going to be my last game for Tottenham against Liverpool, I’m hoping to go out with a bang and lift a trophy,” he said with a slightly defiant glare. Nevertheless, the signals are that after two completely business-free transfer windows, this summer will see a lot of churn at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino has hinted that he will be closing a five-year “chapter” this summer and with Christian Eriksen heading towards the final 12 months of his contract and Toby Alderweireld’s more recent deal boasting a much-publicised £25m get-out clause, they are the top two names being gossiped towards the exit. Rose, too, was added to the list after a more indifferent season in which at times he seemed to slip below Ben Davies in the pecking order. Subsequently, though, he has rallied and in recent months has been playing the best football of his Tottenham career – an association that stretches back to when he was snapped up from Leeds days after his 17th birthday. That was nearly 12 years ago, and if Rose was set to leave at any point it was when he launched an explosive attack on his own club of the eve of the preceding season. He accused the club of a lack of ambition. Now they are in the Champions League final. He said that Tottenham needed to stop underpaying its players. That gripe has not been refuted so spectacularly. Danny Rose has joked he could leave Tottenham at the end of the season With the facilities available to the players and the collective spirit, Tottenham has very much been designed by chairman Daniel Levy as a place where footballers would want to go to work. As a result, there is a genuine warmth that pervades through the club and that was epitomised when Levy joined the players in the dressing room after their stunning 3-2 win over Ajax in Amsterdam. “Yeah it was like a family celebration,” Rose said. “We all know the difficulties that we’ve faced this season and I think it was just a huge relief that we’ve made it to a Champions League final - the biggest occasion of club competition. “It’s just a relief and, it’s you know, something we can enjoy. It was special.” Rose helped Spurs stage a miraculous comeback against Ajax Mauricio Pochettino has also hinted he could leave Spurs if they win the Champions League That’s not to say Rose doesn’t still want his pocket money, though – and by association, so do the rest of the players. Last month, the England internatonal said pointedly that the Spurs players were putting their trust in Levy to do more to correct the perceived imbalance in wages. “It is not just the foundations that attract players, or make players want to stay, or want to stay,” Rose said. “We just have to trust that the people upstairs are going to do whatever they see fit to make that next step.” That said, Levy’s model, so expertly executed by Mauricio Pochettino, has given Spurs something that money cannot buy and which they will be leaning heavily in the Madrid final. Tottenham players celebrate Ajax win in changing room<doc-sep>
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is predicting an “amazing” Champions League final against Liverpool. Spurs followed their Premier League rivals to Madrid by replicating their miraculous comeback against Barcelona by seeing off Ajax. The side were dead and buried at half-time of their semi-final second leg in Amsterdam as they trailed 3-0 on aggregate. But Lucas Moura completed a stunning second-half hat-trick, with the third coming deep into injury time, to send Spurs through to a first ever Champions League final on away goals and spark amazing scenes in the Johan Cryuff ArenA. Pochettino was reduced to tears after the game after performing what he called a “miracle” and they will now meet Jurgen Klopp’s side in the Spanish capital on June 1. “Allow me to relax a little bit, there is going to be time to talk about Liverpool,” he said. “I want to congratulate Jurgen Klopp and all the players and Liverpool, because I think they were amazing. “We enjoyed a lot, watching the tie against Barcelona, they are heroes too and of course it is going to be an amazing final between two English teams that for sure we are going to enjoy.” Spurs have battled against two transfer windows without making a signing, a crippling injury list and playing most of the season at Wembley, leading Pochettino to call his players “superheroes.” “It’s difficult with words to describe my feelings and my emotions,” he said. “I think it’s one of the most important nights in my life. How the game finished, everything that happened, the first half, how we planned to play, how the plan was down after three minutes when we conceded the goal, and I think everything was amazing. “The most important thing I want to say is to congratulate my players. They own the football, they delivered a great job. “For me, they are heroes. I’ve told you the last six months, I repeat this sentence. “I think they are superheroes now. To get the club to the final of the Champions League I think is very close to a miracle. “No-one believed in us from the beginning of the season. We are so close to the top four and have the opportunity in Madrid to play the final against Liverpool. “It is an amazing season in our new home. This chapter that we’re going to close now, until June 1, it can be amazing to close the chapter playing a final. In case we win, it should be an amazing book.”