Andy Robertson believes the potential of Luis Diaz is “scary” after the winger inspired Liverpool to a remarkable comeback in their Champions League semi-final.
The Reds had seen their 2-0 first-leg lead wiped out by Villarreal during a dramatic night in Spain on Tuesday before the introduction of Diaz from the bench in place of Diogo Jota for the second half turned the game.
Diaz was outstanding down the left flank and headed home Liverpool’s second as they recovered to win 3-2 to seal a 5-2 aggregate success and a third Champions League final appearance in five seasons.
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And Robertson is adamant Diaz is only just getting started as he adjusts to life at Anfield following his £50million arrival from Porto in January.
“He has been special,” said the left-back. “We’ve tried to help him as much as we can. We know how difficult it is coming in during January and the coaches have got him up to speed, but he is a special, special player. The talent he has and will to win, he just fits us perfectly.
“It was tough to take Jots off as he has been excellent this season, but Luis made a big difference. He started dribbling and pushing them back. It was a really good half from him.
“It’s a pleasure to play with him and hopefully he will only get better with a full pre-season, which is scary. But what he’s doing now is pretty special.”
Goals from Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin had levelled the tie by the break, but a dominant second-half performance saw Fabinho, Diaz and Sadio Mane score to earn Liverpool a place in the final in Paris on May 28.
“It feels unbelievable,” said Robertson. “It was an incredibly tough tie. It’s never easy, but to be in a final is never, every easy no matter what competition you are in, so to make it to the third final in five years is incredible from this group of boys. Players and fans should never take this for granted.
“To be fair, at half-time it was calm in the dressing room. We had to be calm because to be honest they put everything into that first half. I thought they played really well and their crowd was up, we talk about Anfield and what impact that has and their fans made a huge difference in the first half. But at half-time it was about reminding ourselves that it was still 2-2, still level in the tie and the next goal was going to be crucial. We brought on Luis and he made a difference and we made a few changes tactically.”
Robertson added: “Villarreal were everywhere first half. Sometimes we could have done a lot better but sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say they did really well. But we would have been surprised if they managed to sustain it. We knew we could play a lot more better and could be more composed on the ball, and then we started to pick them off.
“It’s so hard to get to a Champions League final, especially given the amount of good teams in this competition, so to get to a final is an incredible feeling. It is going to be a special occasion and we are looking forward to it. Our season has been extended for the right reasons and we can’t wait to go and try and make it number seven.”
