Rarely has a defeat been greeted with such joy. Liverpool
fans rose as one at the final whistle, their chants becoming a battle cry:
bring on Real Madrid. For this is what lies ahead for this remarkable side that
Klopp has assembled – a Champions League final against the team looking to win
it for the third time in a row. The whispers, if not yet shouts, are becoming
more insistent: “we could do this, you know”. Such things dreams are made of,
and yet the Liverpool players are one win away from making it an unbelievable
reality, forever enshrining themselves in legend in the process.
Memories of the Manchester City tie would undoubtedly have
been fresh in their minds as they stepped out onto the pitch with a three-goal
aggregate lead from the first leg. Their defence of such a margin began
disastrously at the Etihad, but lessons had been learned: Liverpool did not
start like a team with a lead to hold onto, instead going about their business
in the usual attacking way. Reward was reaped almost immediately – Sadio Mane,
who was exceptional throughout the evening, was on hand to fire past Alisson
after a defensive error provided the opportunity to score. Some of the tension,
inevitable in any Champions League semi-final regardless of the context of the
tie, was released; Roma now needed four. Nobody who has supported Liverpool for
any length of time thought that this was impossible, and anyone who was
labouring under this illusion was quickly disabused of it. The hosts had one back
just minutes later in freakish circumstances: a hacked clearance hit James
Milner in the face and positively rocketed beyond Karius. It was hugely
unfortunate, both for the team and the individual; Milner, of course, was
responsible for the penalty at the end of the first leg too, but there was very
little he could do about either incident. Roma sniffed a chance, and the crowd
at the Olimpico whipped up a feverish atmosphere.
Liverpool, however, were unperturbed. Virgil Van Dijk was
imperious in the face of the howls of the crowd, bringing an element of
calmness that in the circumstances felt almost out of place. It was his
countryman, though, who sparked wild celebrations from the away end – the
Champions League continued its uncanny habit of producing irresistible
narratives, as Gini Wijnaldum scored his first away goal since arriving in
English football on the biggest possible stage. It was not particularly pretty
– Van Dijk went up for a header from a corner and missed it, but the defensive
clearance looped up towards Wijnaldum who was lurking on the edge of the
six-yard box. The ball arched off his head and into the net: the roars of
elation rose in a crescendo, as fans realised that it was not offside and that
Wijnaldum, of all people, had just scored the vital second away goal. This left
Roma needing four once again, and even this would only have been enough to
force extra-time. The goal made Liverpool’s the most prolific Champions League
campaign ever, surpassing that of Barcelona in 1999/2000; the sheer firepower
looked to have proved too much for Roma.
In fairness to the Italians, they certainly did not give up.
History, even recent history, can have intangible effects on teams – Roma
played like a side who knew they could overturn impossible odds in the face of
world class opposition. The first stages of the second half felt in many ways
like the barrage to which Liverpool were subjected by Manchester City: wave
after wave of attack crashed down upon the defence, which again caved early on.
Alexander-Arnold missed his interception, which left the path to Karius free –
the German parried the resulting shot into an awful area, and Dzeko made no
mistake on the rebound. After this, the back line clung on for dear life as
more attacks rained down, just barely managing to repel what was thrown its
way. It would be petty not to note the part which the referee played in keeping
Roma at bay. Dzeko was wrongly called offside just before getting hauled down
in the box by Karius for what would have been a certain penalty, and then Trent
Alexander-Arnold got away with a goal-line block which was shown by replays to
be a handball. That said, the defence dug deep and deserved their slices of
luck, particularly given that Mane had been denied a spot kick for a clear
shove in the opening stages of the game.
The clock kept ticking over, and Roma seemed to have
expended everything they had. Liverpool looked the more likely to get the next
goal with fifteen minutes to play – the physical and psychological effects of
constantly attacking without reward appeared to be taking their toll on the
hosts. However, there was still time to make things nervy. In the 86th
minute, Radja Nainggolan restored a semblance of hope with a sweetly-struck
strike from outside the box. He did not look as though he genuinely believed
that there was time for the comeback, but he conjured up a second wind for the
players and fans around him. The noise, which had become somewhat muted,
returned in abundance, and Roma responded. Klopp’s men stood firm once more,
but as in the first leg fell victim to a highly questionable penalty decision.
Ragnar Klavan, brought on to shore up the defence, had the ball pelted in his
direction from close range – the official, taking it upon himself to stir up some
late drama, pointed to the spot. Nainggolan was on hand once again to blast the
ball into the net, and suddenly one more goal would produce extra time. In the
end, though, it was not enough: the final whistle came just moments after the
restart, and was greeted with unbridled joy by Liverpool fans across the world.
That blast on the whistle signified the realisation of a dream: Liverpool are
in the final.
There is now an excruciating wait until the 26th
May, a date undoubtedly etched into the minds of all supporters. Still, the
last time that Liverpool fans had a Champions League final to look forward to
it was 2007 – they have waited patiently through the era of Hodgson, of Paul
Konchesky and Andriy Voronin, and in that context three weeks is nothing. The
context also provides some reassurance: regardless of what happens when
Liverpool come face to face with the reigning European champions, it is clear
that the club has truly embarked upon a new era. It is an era in which trophies
will undoubtedly come, even if the upcoming final proves a stretch too far;
Klopp is moulding a team that can compete at the highest level for years to
come. All that said, the team will certainly believe that they might just be
able to get their hands on the Champions League later this month: Kyiv
awaits.
- James Martin (@JamesMartin013)
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