Jurgen Klopp has explained why Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will contest next month's Champions League final – despite claiming neither was the most talented team in the competition.
And the Reds boss has insisted the his players will be be “angry” with Mauricio Pochettino's side come the Madrid showpiece.
Liverpool will take on their Premier League rivals in the Spanish capital on June 1 after both completed remarkable comebacks in their semi-final ties this week.
Jurgen Klopp sends message to Liverpool fans travelling to Champions League final in Madrid
The Reds produced the best European recovery in the club's history to overturn a three-goal first leg deficit by beating Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield on Tuesday, while the following day a second-half hat-trick from Lucas Moura – the winner coming in the 96th minute – earned Tottenham progress at Ajax on away goals having been 3-0 down with fewer than 45 minutes to play.
And Klopp was effusive in his praise of the achievement from Mauricio Pochettino's side.
“It was brilliant,” said the Liverpool boss. “Congratulations to Poch, it was unbelievable.
“But what Ajax did in the whole campaign was incredible. Unbelievable.
“In the final now are the two teams who showed the biggest heart in the whole competition, but the most talented group went out in the semi-final.
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“Age-group wise Ajax have so many wonderful players. They suffered a bit with the intensity, and the good decisions Mauricio made at half-time. Bringing on (Fernando) Llorente was a masterstroke.
“I watched the game, and because of the problems around booking hotels and travel, my son said during the game that Ajax fans should probably start booking at half-time, because each minute can be decisive, price-wise.
“But that’s football, eh? What Tottenham did was outstanding. We have three weeks to get angry on them again, but on that night I really thought they deserved it.”
