Barcelona Annihilated: Liverpool Beats Barca 4- to Reach Champions League Final

By Staff, Agencies

Liverpool produced one of the most stunning comebacks in Champions League history as Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum scored twice to beat Barcelona 4-0 and progress to the final for the second consecutive year 4-3 on aggregate on Tuesday.

Two goals each from stand-in forward Divock Origi and half-time substitute Georginio Wijnaldum left Lionel Messi and Barcelona utterly shellshocked after a Liverpool performance full of passion, belief and determination.

Jurgen Klopp's side will play the winner of Wednesday's other semi-final between Ajax Amsterdam and Tottenham Hotspur, with the Dutch side leading 1-0 from the first leg in London.

Liverpool became only the third team in the history of the European Cup or Champions League to come from three goals down after the first leg of a semi-final and progress after Panathinaikos in 1970-71 and Barcelona themselves in 1985-86.

It was a night that will be remembered by Liverpool fans alongside their fifth European Cup win in Istanbul in 2005, when they came back from 3-0 down at half-time to win on penalties.

For Barca, who went out on away goals to AS Roma in the quarter-finals last year, after winning the first-leg 4-1, it was a bitter occasion that will raise many questions for Coach Ernesto Valverde.

Messi, whose two goals in the first leg had given his team a seemingly comfortable advantage, was unable to influence the game with an away goal that would have been decisive.

The scoreline was remarkable enough in itself, but the fact that Liverpool overcame five-time European champions Barcelona without two-thirds of their usual strike force made it extraordinary.

After their defeat in Barcelona, Sunday was expected to be the conclusion of a Liverpool season that promised so much but would ultimately conclude with Klopp's side finishing empty-handed.

Now their campaign has been extended until the June 1 final in Madrid where they will have a chance of a sixth European Cup - which would move them above Barca on the all-time winners list.