Fabinho takes Messi to school
Within seconds of the start, Fabinho had dumped Lionel Messi to the turf.
As the Barcelona man complained, Andy Robertson ruffled his hair and sent him on his way.
The tone was set. It was going to be one of those nights.
If Liverpool soon got into the heads of the Spaniards, it was Fabinho who got stuck into them physically.
The Brazilian was immense, revelling his role as chief spoiler having been the victim of sneaky play by Messi in winning the free-kick that somehow put the Reds 3-0 down at Camp Nou last Wednesday.
Read all the reaction to Liverpool's epic victory over Barcelona HERE
Here, Messi was on the periphery for the most part, kept there primarily by Fabinho, who negotiated much of the game on a yellow card after being wrongly booked for a strong but fair tackle on Luis Suarez.
This wasn't a story of passion and desire trumping all, though.
With so many key players missing, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and his coaching staff needed to develop a plan that would keep his side in the game while offering Barcelona little.
It worked. The Catalans, increasingly frustrated and visibly taken aback by the atmosphere, couldn't find an answer.
And when they did find a way through, they discovered, just like against Roma 13 months earlier, a roadblock in the form of Alisson Becker.
While the first time Liverpool had recovered from three goals behind in the first leg in European football, it was the second time the goalkeeper had done so against Barcelona in 13 months.
The Spaniards must be sick of the sight of him. And Fabinho. And every Liverpool player, really.
Gini out the bottle
The Champions League semi-final. Camp Nou. The grandest of stages.
“You're starting,” says Jurgen Klopp to Gini Wijnaldum. “But you're playing up front.”
The Dutchman, having never played there before, did his best, but it was an experiment that ultimately failed.
So Wijnaldum, one of Liverpool's stars of the campaign, had every right to feel a bit miffed when, despite so many missing players, he was benched for the return.
The injury to Andy Robertson gave Wijnaldum his chance in the second half.
And boy did he take it.
It wasn't just about the goals, the midfielder netting twice in as many minutes to take Liverpool from still seeking a minor miracle to being level on aggregate.
Both were trademark Wijnaldum, arriving late in the area to sweep home Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross from the right for the first, and then demonstrating his power and aerial ability to head in Xherdan Shaqiri's cross.
But it was Wijnaldum's overall performance that shone, his close control crucial in helping play his way out of trouble and preventing Barcelona from building up any head of steam.
Indeed, one pirouette was pure Zinedine Zidane.
Alongside him, Jordan Henderson was outstanding, particularly during the first half when his drive, desire and talent sparked the opening goal for Divock Origi.
Now both have an opportunity wipe the memories of Kiev 12 months earlier. Madrid on June 1 here we come.
Kop has the last laugh on Suarez
Did you really expect anything different? Did he really expect anything different?
Luis Suarez claimed before the game he expected more cheers than jeers when stepping out on his first competitive return to Anfield since moving to Barcelona almost five years ago.
The jeers and whistles that rained down from the stands as he prepared to kick off the match suggested the Uruguayan may have misjudged matters a smidgeon.
What Luis Suarez said about Liverpool's incredible win over Barcelona in Champions League
Suarez, whose celebrations when scoring in the first leg didn't go down well with Liverpool fans, then got on with doing what he does best. Being Luis Suarez.
A bit of rolling about ensured Fabinho was booked. A sly kick on Andy Robertson ultimately prompted the left-back's departure. And then there was the constant moaning to referee Cuneyt Cakir.
The Kop passed its verdict. “Cheat, cheat, cheat” was the chant, followed by another which encouraged the striker to vacate the premises with speed.
They'd seen it all before, Suarez reverting to the type that lit up and enraged the Premier League for three-and-a-half years.
Premier League star posts perfect tweet after Liverpool beat Barcelona
Forget talk of respect – the Uruguayan will always do all he can to help his team win. Just like that abuse from the crowd was aimed at trying to unsettle him.
Come full-time, it had worked.
Suarez, similar to fellow ex-Red Philippe Coutinho, knew all about the power of Anfield.
He and Barcelona simply couldn't do anything about it.
