Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised his side’s reaction after going 2-0 down in their Champions League semi-final second-leg win at Villarreal.
The Reds won the first leg 2-0 at Anfield but went into the break on Tuesday night level on aggregate after a disastrous opening 45 minutes.
Pursuit of history creates its own stress as Liverpool Quad-chasers survive Villarreal scare
However, Klopp’s side outplayed their opponents in the second half to win 3-2 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.
Liverpool will face Real Madrid or Premier League rivals Manchester City in the Champions League final in Paris as they chase an unprecedented quadruple.
“It is outstanding,” Klopp told BT Sport. “We made it pretty tricky for ourselves. We knew before that these kind of things can happen. In life it is always about how you react when things don’t go your way. A goal conceded after two or three minutes is obviously the opposite of what you wanted. Momentum on their side.
Klopp applauding the Villarreal players and fans as he walks off the field. pic.twitter.com/yP6DoHASgz
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“Respect to Villarreal, the team, the coach, it is unbelievable what they set up. They put us under pressure, man for man all over the pitch.
“We did not play football at all. I told the boys ‘they have momentum but they don’t own it, we can get it back’. We had to play in the spaces and force our way into a game that did not start well. All of a sudden, when we broke the lines and found spaces and were more flexible and not fixed on positions, all of a sudden we were in the game. We scored goals and made it happen.
“The thing at half-time is that we knew what was wrong, it was obvious, but we did not have a situation to show when it was right. We were calm. If Villarreal play the second half like they play the first and we do the same they will be in the final. But we are still here so I think we could give it a try. This is what we did.
“Yes I will watch it [the other semi-final]. Whoever it will be it will be massive. Whoever wins tomorrow will enjoy it and then face each other in Paris.”
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