5 Big Lessons from Liverpool’s Champions League Final Victory
June 3, 2019
Liverpool won their sixth Champions League title after defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in a suspenseful, nerve-wracking game in Madrid.
Jurgen Klopp’s men scored early in the game after Spurs midfielder, Moussa Sissoko unintentionally blocked Sadio Mane’s cross with his arm within 26 seconds into the match. Mohamed Salah stepped up to drive the ball into the net from the spot.
The early goal gave Liverpool a secure advantage, while Spurs struggled to get back into the game. In the second half, Tottenham had a couple of chances, Pochettino even brought on Lucas Moura, and Llorente. However, it was Liverpool’s substitute, Divock Origi, who would be the hero. Origi pounced on a loose ball from a corner to slot past Hugo Lloris.
Liverpool held on to win the 2018/2019 UEFA Champions League. Here are five big lessons from the Champions League final.
1. Origi is a big match player
Divock Origi scored two vital goals against Barcelona in the semifinals, that ensured Liverpool booked their place in the finals. He was drafted in to fill in for for the injured Roberto Firmino and never disappointed.
The Belgian striker came off the bench to score the winner with a superb left-footed strike three minutes from the end just as Tottenham were starting to push for an equaliser.
Origi is not part of Liverpool’s formidable front three, but he’s the man for the big matches.
2. Pochettino is underrated
The Spurs deserved credit for carrying this team to the final of the Champions League. However, he doesn’t get enough credits. Mauricio Pochettino has transformed Tottenham into a strong European side, and it is also worthy to note that he has already qualified Spurs for next year’s Champions League season.
Although he is yet to win a major trophy with his team, he deserves a lot of applauds for his achievements.
3. Allison Becker was the missing link
Last year when Liverpool lost miserably to Real Madrid in the final, one of the reasons was because of Karius, their former goalkeeper who made two horrendous mistakes.
Klopp splashed a massive amount of money to secure the services of Allison Becker, and that solved their problems. Allison stood tall and made a couple of crucial saves as Tottenham searched for an equalizer. He was the missing link all along.
4. Consistency always pays
Before the match, a lot of fuss was made about Jurgen Klopp’s failure in seven previous final matches. The German coach had lost seven finals before the game against Tottenham.
He finally managed to break the curse and win his first trophy with Liverpool after four years with the team. He was consistent and kept on strived to bring out the best in his players.
5. Harry Kane gamble proved ineffective
Mauricio Pochettino chose to start his star striker Harry Kane ahead of semifinal hat-trick hero, Lucas Moura despite Kane’s fitness concerns. Pochettino’s gamble backfired, and he paid for it.
In the first half, Tottenham’s attack was blunt. Harry Kane was subdued by Virgil van Dijk.
The 2018/19 UEFA Champions League was a very memorable one, and we had a lot of excitement throughout the competition. Congratulations to Champions Liverpool!
We hope to see you with us in the next season!
Also Read:
How Jurgen Klopp transformed Liverpool in three seasons
3 defenders likely to join Manchester United this summer
UCL Final Preview: Tottenham vs. Liverpool
This article is brought to us by our Sports Writers Club resident columnist – Collins Michael Nwokolo. Follow him on Twitter and Pinterest.
