Get our LFC newsletter for the best Reds coverage Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice The Kop lay witness to another famous European night on Tuesday, as the Reds overturned a 3-0 first leg defeat at Camp Nou to hammer Barcelona 4-0 and book their place in the Champions League final for the second consecutive season. A brace from both Divock Origi and second-half substitute Gini Wijnaldum saw Jurgen Klopp’s side complete what seemed the impossible job pre-kick off. Amongst the many narratives heading into the game, one of the biggest was the return of former Liverpool stars Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho. Read all the updates from Liverpool's clash with Barcelona as it happened HERE Whilst Coutinho endured a largely underwhelming performance against Klopp’s side in the first leg and was subbed off on the hour mark, Suarez opened the scoring for the Catalan giants, and proved an annoyance all game with his constant playacting and decision to celebrate so gleefully against his former-team. Yet in the return leg, thanks to Liverpool's robust performance, the Uruguayan striker suffered a difficult night and failed to impact the game for his side. Right from the off, Liverpool took the game straight to Barcelona and imposed themselves as the more dominant side. They did a great job of closing the Catalans’ passing channels to nullify their forwards’ impact. They also proved much more aggressive in their pressing capacity. The Reds allowed an average of just 9.6 passes per defensive action (PPDA) before pressing the ball, which was lower than their average of 10.81 at Camp Nou last week. This caused the usually well-oiled Barcelona to struggle in possession and suffer a high number of lost balls. In fact, with 118, they lost the ball more at Anfield than they have in any other game this season. This great work by Liverpool had a direct impact on those in attack and limited Suarez to just ten passes all match - that is the fewest number of passes he has received in a 90-minute game all season. The forward also won just six of his 19 offensive duels with Liverpool defenders. (Image: Wyscout) Key to Liverpool’s success in keeping him quiet was remaining touch-tight on the Barcelona man at all times. Given the Catalans' documented difficulties in passing the ball as freely as they would have liked, often they would look to Suarez to be their outlet further forward, yet instead their play often broke down with the attacker. Below are a few examples of Liverpool defenders managing the Uruguayan’s threat expertly. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Week in and week out for Barcelona, as the ball is played forward in these situations, Suarez will usually look to get his body in front of the ball to hold off the incoming defender, or he will seek to use his body weight to hold off the challenge of the defender and let the ball sweep past him for him to run onto goal side. (Image: Wyscout) Virgil Van Dijk is aware of this and instead uses his own body weight to muscle Suarez to one side and step into the intended pass. The Barcelona man ends up on the ground whilst the Dutchman can come away with possession. (Image: Wyscout) The same two clash again in the below, with the same result. Suarez goes wide this time to receive possession of the ball. Again, Van Dijk is quick to push up and close down Suarez, allowing him no time to settle in possession of the ball. (Image: Wyscout) Van Dijk wins the initial challenge again, this time forcing Suarez backwards. (Image: Wyscout) Even going back towards his own goal, Van Dijk remains relentless in his pressure causing Suarez to attempt a across field pass that is easily intercepted by Trent Alexander-Arnold . (Image: Wyscout) But it wasn’t just the formidable Van Dijk who chaperoned the striker; his defensive partner Joel Matip , who can often get overlooked in the Liverpool back line, also put in a domineering display against the forward. In the below, Barcelona play a lofted ball forward and Suarez attempted to muscle into Matip, forcing him into a mistake. (Image: Wyscout) Rather than attempting a difficult header under pressure, Matip is calm enough to let the lofted pass drop behind him and position himself in between Suarez and the ball. (Image: Wyscout) Using his strong ball playing capabilities, Matip holds off Suarez and turns away from the attacker before playing a simple pass to Alexander-Arnold to build a counter-attack for Liverpool. (Image: Wyscout) Once an Anfield star, Suarez’s antics last week quickly turned him into an antihero. Follow tactics writer David Hughes on social media To follow David on Twitter, click here. The danger for Liverpool heading into the game was that the Uruguayan often thrives in a role as the pantomime villain, and can be at his most dangerous. Oh no he wasn't. Liverpool squashed any threat from their former player with relative ease, making it an extremely unhappy return the striker. He now heads back to Barcelona with his season over and reputation amongst the Reds ruined; Liverpool, however, can look forward to a trip to Madrid in June.<doc-sep>Istanbul will always be the benchmark when it comes to Liverpool comebacks in Europe but the 4-0 dismantling of Barcelona at Anfield will run it close as Jurgen Klopp's side reached successive Champions League finals. Trailing by three goals from the first leg no-one gave the Reds much hope but two goals apiece from Divock Origi and game-changing half-time substitute Georginio Wijnaldum saw them progress 4-3 on aggregate. In a truly remarkable - and intense - game not only did Liverpool erase that disadvantage inside 56 minutes, they went on to score a winner and, remarkably, kept Lionel Messi quiet. For only the fourth time in the competition's history a team was eliminated from a knockout tie having won the first leg by three or more goals, the last occasion being Barca against Roma in last season's quarter-final. Origi's timing in scoring his first Champions League goals was impeccable, as was Wijnaldum's introduction for injured defender Andy Robertson. Here, James Ducker rates the performances of all the players on a memorable night at Anfield:<doc-sep>The forward backed Ernesto Valverde and said he and his team-mates must take all the blame for a second humiliating Champions League exit Luis Suarez has offered an apology for the "youth team" mindset that Barcelona displayed in the club’s 4-0 loss at the hands of Liverpool on Tuesday. The Uruguayan and his team-mates held a 3-0 lead in their Champions League semi-final tie heading into the second leg at Anfield. But, much in the same way the club fell against Roma in the Champions League in 2018, Liverpool responded with four goals – two each from Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum – to knock the La Liga champions out of the competition. The loss to Liverpool has brought about immediate heat on Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde, but Suarez was quick to back his manager and says the result falls on the players. "We are the ones who play, the coach made the tactic that he made in the first leg,” he told reporters. “We, the players, have to be self-aware, we are the ones who play. "We have to apologise for the attitude, we were not a team. To our families, our children, our fans, we have to ask their forgiveness, it cannot be that in a minute we concede two goals. "In the fourth goal we looked like a youth team. We have to understand all the criticisms that are going to rain on us.” And Suarez says it’s time for Barcelona to look inward after having failed in the Champions League in epic fashion in back-to-back seasons. "We have to do a lot of self-criticism, it's the second time the same happens to us,” he added. “We cannot make these mistakes two years in a row, we have to reproach ourselves for what we are doing wrong, thinking that everything was finished." Article continues below The forward also said he and his team-mates were hurting but that they would need to steady themselves for what is coming their way. “We are very sad, hurt, we are human beings, we feel the pain, the frustration, we have to do self-criticism, put our chest for the bullets of what is coming now." Barcelona still have three matches left in their season, with two La Liga contests and the Copa del Rey final against Valencia on May 25.<doc-sep>Get our LFC newsletter for the best Reds coverage Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Liverpool are through to the Champions League final for the second successive season after a sensational win against Barcelona on Tuesday night. Divock Origi and substitute Gini Wijnaldum both scored twice as the Reds romped to a 4-0 triumph. The result meant Jurgen Klopp's side overcame a 3-0 first-leg deficit for the first time in their history to reach their ninth European Cup final, with Ajax or Tottenham Hotspur awaiting in Madrid on June 1. But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at Anfield. Gini has a wrestle Wijnaldum later admitted he was angry at being left out of the starting line-up, so it wasn't much surprise that he was keen to make up for lost time when thrown on after half-time. His first goal, Liverpool's second, was a case in point. Or, to be more precise, what happened immediately afterwards, with the Dutchman involved in a tussle with Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the ball with the Reds eager to restart. He won that battle. One moment worthy of reliving is when Wijnaldum sent half the Barcelona team for the ECHO with a turn on the halfway line. Has the midfielder ever played better for the Reds? Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Suarez sulks off (Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) Luis Suarez's first mistake was to kick off the match. Never before has a game started at Anfield to such a cacophony of boos and whistles as the Uruguayan prepared to strike the ball. So much for there being more cheers than jeers, as the Barcelona man had expected. It was all pantomime stuff. But what wasn't truly noted was how Suarez was shaking his head in disbelief after Liverpool netted their second shortly after half-time. Nor that, come the final whistle, Suarez didn't hang around, walking straight off and the first player down the tunnel before barely a handshake. Don't sulk, Luis. Messi can't resist (Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) Lionel Messi was spared much of the vitriol from the Anfield crowd, with Reds fans appreciative of his talent and the fact he was by far Barcelona's most potent threat on the night. But Messi couldn't help but sneak a glance at the Kop in full voice and with flags swaying as the two teams lined up before the game. The same thing happened with a number of Manchester United players before the Europa League tie in 2016. We all know what happened there. Messi looked a broken man come full-time. He wasn't the only one. Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now Alexander-Arnold milks it (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) If there was one player who deserved the adulation of the home crowd, it was Trent Alexander-Arnold. The boyhood Liverpool fan was sensational, making a mockery of his age - he's only 20! - with a superb performance of energy, technique, composure and just general all-round Trentness. Download our FREE LFC App Don't miss a thing with our free LFC App click here for iTunes and click here for android. And while after the match Liverpool's players and coaching staff took the applause of the jubilant crowd, the youngster made a point of completing a lap of Anfield by himself to soak in the atmosphere. Alexander-Arnold even got a clap off the Barcelona fans. It was a final touch of class on an unforgettable occasion.<doc-sep>
Liverpool entered the second leg of the Champions League semifinal on Tuesday facing what was viewed as an improbable 3-0 deficit. The Reds had the support of the Anfield crowd but were without the services of Mohamed Salah (head) and Roberto Firmino (muscular) due to injuries. The Reds somehow overcame the long odds and pulled off an incredible 4-0 victory to advance to the Champions League final on June 1 in Madrid, Spain against the winner of Tottenham vs. Ajax. Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum both scored twice, with three of Liverpool's goals coming in the second half. Barcelona, meanwhile, crashed out of the Champions League by blowing an enormous lead for the second consecutive season in unbelievable fashion. After Origi's first goal in the opening minutes, Liverpool's dominance continued. The team was stronger on the ball, looked more confident and never gave up, and in the second half everything went right. Minutes after coming on, Wijnaldum finished this ball inside the box to make it 2-0, leaving Liverpool a goal away from potentially forcing extra time: Then just three minutes later, Wijnaldum did it again with a header goal: As the match seemed destined for extra time, Liverpool caught Barcelona napping with a corner kick incoming. Trent Alexander-Arnold walked away from the ball as if he was giving up the set piece, but then he quickly saw Origi all alone and took it, setting up an absolutely jaw-dropping fourth goal: With that, the comeback was complete and Barca fell short of its goal, as it has done each of the last four UCL seasons. Goal scorers ⚽ Liverpool - Origi (7') ⚽ Liverpool - Wijnaldum (54') ⚽ Liverpool - Wijnaldum (56') ⚽ Liverpool - Origi (79') Game-changing moment It's the last goal because of how sleek it was. Alexander-Arnold, who just reached double-digit assists in the Premier League, had two more tonight. The goal caught every Barcelona player off guard and it was the difference in the end. Player of the game Alisson in goal for Barca. He had five saves, including a huge one at the end of the first half on Jordi Alba that could have put the game away. The goals will get all the credit, but the Brazilian star deserves plenty of it for being a sure thing in goal in this one: The most telling statistic 11 games. That's how many matches Barca had gone unbeaten in the Champions League. They scored 26 goals and conceded just six in those matches, yet in this one they score zero and concede four. Key coaching decision How about putting Wijnaldum in for the second half? Aside from his goals, he was also so good in the middle on the ball. He also showed a bit of flair, but his passing was crisp and allowed his team to control the ball and the pace. What's next The second semifinalist will be known on Wednesday when Ajax hosts Tottenham with the Dutch side leading 1-0. The final is on June 1 in Madrid, and both remaining matches can be watched on fuboTV (Try for free). CBS Sports will be with you the entire way, updating this story with the latest scores, highlights and analysis. If you are unable to view the live updates below, please click here.