After falling at the final hurdle of the 2017-18 season, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool went one better in the next season, lifting the Champions League trophy in 2018-19.
Grouped with Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli and Red Star Belgrade in Group C, Liverpool didn’t have it easy in the group stages. While PSG topped the group with 11 points, Liverpool and Napoli finished level on nine points.
With their head-to-head records and goal difference also reading the same, it boiled down to the number of goals both teams had scored through the group stage. Liverpool’s nine goals, as opposed to Napoli’s seven, allowed them to progress to the knock-out stages.
Liverpool defeated German giants Bayern Munich with a 3-1 aggregate in the Round of 16 and beat Portuguese club Porto with a convincing 6-1 aggregate in the quarter-finals.
In the semi-final against Spanish heavyweights Barcelona, Liverpool lost the first leg 3-0. But they defeated Barca 4-0 in the second leg to progress 4-3 on aggregate..
The final was an all-English affair as Liverpool played Tottenham Hotspur. An early penalty from Mohamed Salah and a late goal from Divock Origi gave them a 2-0 victory that allowed them to lift the Champions League trophy once again.
Did you know?
By winning the Champions League in 2018-19, Liverpool claimed the European Cup/Champions League title for the sixth time.
Champions Liverpool had a brilliant defensive record through the season and produced both the best goalkeeper and defender of the season. While Brazilian Alisson was named the best goalkeeper, Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk was named the best defender.
Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who played for Ajax, was named the best midfielder of the season in the tournament. Barcelona’s Argentine striker Lionel Messi claimed the honour of being the best forward.
Picture Credit : Google
