3 Primary reasons behind Liverpool's Champions League triumph
Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 last Saturday to win their 6th Champions League title. The Reds have now won the ultimate prize in club football on more occasions than Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and only AC Milan (7) and Real Madrid (13) are ahead of them in this respect. In fact, Liverpool also have twice as many Champions League titles as archrivals Manchester United.
Liverpool came very close last season too, finishing runners-up after losing 1-3 to Real Madrid in the final. However, goals by Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi ensured that they won the much elusive title this time around.
Their manager Juergen Klopp also tasted his first European success after having lost as a manager in the finals in 2013 and 2018. He reaped the rewards for making Liverpool a cohesive and combative unit since being appointed the manager of the club in 2015.
We would now take a look at the 3 primary reasons behind Liverpool’s success in this season’s Champions League:
#1 Vital goals coming from unexpected sources
Liverpool have had to face injury related problems in the Champions League, as their talismanic players Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino could not play against Barcelona in the second leg of the semifinal clash between two of Europe’s heavyweight clubs.
However, it was a blessing in disguise for them, as Origi, who had warmed the bench for the majority of the season, got a chance to redeem himself, and scored a couple of vital goals. Origi again hogged the limelight by scoring the second goal in the final against Tottenham Hotspur. He played in only 20 matches last season, but managed to score three of the most important goals scored in Liverpool’s Champions League conquest.
The same is true about Geroginio Wijnaldum, who scored a brace against Barcelona in the 4-0 win the second leg after being introduced as a substitute in the second half. Wijnaldum has scored only 5 goals in the 2018-19 season, but a couple of them were absolutely crucial in determining Liverpool’s fate in the Champions League.