Liverpool completed a stunning comeback in Villarreal to reach the Champions League final after the Reds arguably had their worst half of the season during the first 45 minutes.
The Spanish side stunned Jurgen Klopp's men as they came flying out the block and racing to a 2-0 lead with the tie all square. Liverpool couldn't get anything going in attack and looked shaky in defence - a rare occurrence throughout this campaign.
It was a classic case of being a game of two halves, however, as Luis Diaz inspired a second-half turnaround with goals from the Colombian, Fabinho and Sadio Mane as they ran out 3-2 winners (5-2) on aggregate to reach the showpiece in Paris at the end of the month.
Klopp's request to his assistant Peter Krawietz at half-time epitomised how poor Liverpool actually were during that first period. The German asked the Anfield coach to find one clip to show to the players in the dressing room where Liverpool "did it the way he wanted" to give them an idea of what was needed in the second half.
But Krawietz came back and said to Klopp: "I couldn't find one". On the first-half performance, Klopp said: "Our minds weren’t right first half. We felt the pressure. To sort the football problems we needed to get the minds right."
The footage wasn't necessary however as Liverpool looked a completely different animal after the break as Klopp hailed the return of his “mentality monsters." He said: "It feels so special because it was so difficult for us and in the end we deserved it. It was massive for the boys. Before the game I told the boys I wanted the headlines to be the mentality monsters were in town.
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“I wanted it from the first moment but the second half was like that.”
It is the first time anyone has reached the final of the European Cup, FA Cup and Carabao Cup in the same season. And Klopp urged his side to give it their all in their bid to complete their quadruple quest as they also hunt down Manchester City in the Premier League.
He added: “It is really difficult to reach three finals and that is why nobody has ever done it before. We will make sure we are ready for these finals. We will give it a go. That’s for sure.”
