Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said the players knew they could turn around a three-goal deficit against Barcelona as they reached the Champions League final with a 4-0 win at Anfield on Tuesday.
Without injured Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino, few pundits gave the Merseysiders a chance, but reserve striker Divock Origi and substitute Georginio Wijnaldum each scored twice to secure one of the most amazing comebacks in the competition’s history.
“Unbelievable. I don’t think many people gave us a chance. Before the game we knew that it would be difficult but it was still possible of course,” Henderson told BT Sport after Liverpool went through 4-3 on aggregate.
“It’s amazing. We knew that at Anfield we could do something special. It’s a special night ... they’re a fantastic team but we knew if we showed heart we had a chance to get something.”
Liverpool flew at Barca from the start and there were some spicy exchanges with the Merseyside club’s former striker Luis Suarez. One clash with the Uruguayan left full-back Andy Robertson injured, but the defender shrugged it off.
“Who’s going to the final? We are. That’s all that matters. Gini (Wijnaldum) went on (for me) and scored two. I don’t care right now,” Robertson told BT Sport.
“I’ve said so many times this season but what a team. We believe. People wrote us off. But we believed if we got off to a good start we could do it,” he added.
Dutchman Wijnaldum, who replaced Robertson at halftime, revealed that he was annoyed at being left out of the starting lineup by coach Jurgen Klopp.
“I was really angry that the manager put me on the bench. I just tried to help my team, (and) I’m happy I could do that with two goals,” he said smiling.
Origi added: “It was more about the team (than my goals). We did so well. We knew it would be a special night. We wanted to fight for the injured guys. We fought so hard.”
