Here is your Liverpool morning digest for Thursday, 5 May.
Jurgen Klopp breaks his usual rule
There were suggestions, as the assembled press tapped away at their laptops inside La Ceramica on Tuesday night, that it had all got too much for Liverpool's Luis Diaz at full-time. Seeing himself officially declared as a Champions League finalist was, according to some inside Villarreal's stadium, a moment that had brought Diaz to tears, writes Paul Gorst.
So moved was he at confirmation of Liverpool's place in Paris that the Colombian winger was overcome with emotion while his younger brother and agent, Raul de Pais, watched on inside the ground.
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"I'm going to play in a Champions League final, it's like I always dreamt," Diaz told UEFA after the game.
The full-time images were inconclusive, but if Diaz was in fact reduced to tears after helping the Reds to a 3-2 win over Unai Emery's men, then there can be few who will blame him. The 25-year-old has been simply sensational since joining from Porto at the end of the January transfer window.
This showing in Spain was the latest dossier of evidence to support that claim. Without his introduction at half-time, Liverpool's quadruple dream might have ended in the modest setting of that quiet town on the east coast of Spain.
Like the very best January signings, Diaz has given his new team the impetus to finish the season strongly and few have ever finished stronger than this current Liverpool team are right now.
His direct nature and his fearless, tenacious mentality underpin the flair, the imagination and the eye for goal. It's quite the potent combination when it all comes together, just like it did at El Madrigal in the second period.
“I get it from La Guajira," he says. "It comes from my roots. I always played football in my town, in my homeland. They are my characteristics, they have instilled in me several things that I have today and now I have grown much more. That's my game."
Read the full story HERE.
Luis Diaz left in tears
Liverpool made it to a third Champions League final in five years after a remarkable comeback against Villarreal in Spain.
Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane all scored as the Reds came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 and secure a 5-2 aggregate success in their semi-final. The result means Jurgen Klopp’s side have become the first team ever to reach the finals of the League Cup, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season, while also remaining in the hunt for the Premier League title.
But there was plenty that went unnoticed or under the radar during the 90 minutes at the Estadio de la Ceramica.
The introduction of Luis Diaz from the bench for the second half was a game-changer for Liverpool, the winger destroying the Villarreal defence with a truly magnificent performance.
And after tearing up the hosts, the achievement of reaching the Champions League final soon hit home after the final whistle with the Colombian spotted in tears on the pitch.
Up in the stands, Diaz's younger brother and agent were on hand to watch the Liverpool man steal the show. It was a memorable night for them all.
Read the full story HERE.
