On May 7, 2019, Liverpool entered the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona trailing 3–0from the first leg — without Mohamed Salah (head injury) or Roberto Firmino (groin). Klopp told reporters beforehand: "Two of the world's best strikers are not available and we have to score four goals. It doesn't make life easier." Instead, Liverpool won 4–0 on the night to advance 4–3 on aggregate — overturning a three-goal first-leg deficit for the first time in Champions League semi-final history — through a substitute who was angry at being dropped, a right-back who became Man of the Match, and a corner kick taken so quickly that Barcelona's defenders had turned away to walk back into position. Divock Origi scored twice. Georginio Wijnaldum scored twice in 122 seconds after coming on at half-time. Liverpool advanced 4–3 on aggregate. Klopp stood at the final whistle barely able to speak.
The First Leg: What Happened at Camp Nou
The tie had begun at Camp Nou on May 1, 2019 with a match Liverpool were arguably unfortunate to lose as heavily as they did. The game remained goalless until the 75th minute, when Luis Suárez — playing against his former club — deflected a Jordi Alba cross in off his shoulder. Then, five minutes later, Lionel Messi reacted quickest to a Suárez shot that cannoned back off the crossbar and tapped in. Messi added a third in the 82nd minute — a dipping, swerving free kick from 25 metres that was his 600th goal for Barcelona. Final score: 3–0 to Barcelona. Salah left the field with a head injury. Firmino aggravated a groin problem. Neither would be fit for the return.
Barcelona, meanwhile, had just won La Liga. They arrived at Anfield as league champions, resting nothing and rotating nobody. Manager Ernesto Valverde named the exact same starting eleven that had won at Camp Nou.
The Starting Line-Ups
| Liverpool (4–3–3) | Barcelona (4–3–3) |
|---|---|
| Alisson Becker | Marc-André ter Stegen |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold ★ MoM | Sergi Roberto |
| Joel Matip | Gerard Piqué |
| Virgil van Dijk | Clément Lenglet |
| Andrew Robertson (subbed HT) | Jordi Alba |
| James Milner | Arturo Vidal |
| Fabinho | Sergio Busquets |
| Jordan Henderson (capt) | Ivan Rakitić |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | Philippe Coutinho |
| Sadio Mané | Lionel Messi |
| Divock Origi ★ | Luis Suárez |
Salah (head) and Firmino (groin) both absent. Shaqiri replaced Salah. Origi started in place of Firmino. Wijnaldum dropped to the bench — he later said he was "really angry" about the decision. Robertson injured at half-time; Wijnaldum came on as his replacement and scored twice within three minutes. Barcelona named the identical XI from the first leg.
Goal by Goal: The Complete Chronicle
| Min | Scorer | Score | Aggregate | How / Significance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7′ | Origi (LIV) | 1–0 | 3–1 BAR | Henderson drove in, ter Stegen parried — Origi tapped in the rebound |
| 54′ | Wijnaldum (LIV) | 2–0 | 3–2 BAR | HT sub — Trent cross, low drive from 12 yards |
| 56′ | Wijnaldum (LIV) | 3–0 | 3–3 agg. | 122 seconds later — Shaqiri cross, powerful front-post header |
| 79′ | Origi (LIV) | 4–0 | 4–3 LIV ✅ | Trent quick corner — Barcelona asleep, Origi unmarked, stabbed in |
Blue rows: Wijnaldum's 122-second double as a half-time substitute. Green row: Trent's quick corner — the defining moment of the match. Barcelona's defence had turned away from the ball before Alexander-Arnold delivered it. Origi was completely unmarked.
Wijnaldum: The Angry Substitute Who Changed Everything
The central figure of the second half was a man who almost did not play. Georginio Wijnaldum later admitted he was "really angry that the manager put me on the bench" — and scored twice within 122 seconds of coming on to level the tie on aggregate. When Andrew Robertson pulled up with an injury at half-time, Wijnaldum came on not as a tactical choice but as a necessity. He would later reveal to the Guardian that he was so angry at being dropped that he ignored Klopp's instructions entirely and simply went forward to attack.
In the 54th minute, a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross from the right found Wijnaldum arriving at pace from midfield. He struck a low drive from 12 yards that squirmed under ter Stegen's dive. 2–0. 3–2 on aggregate. Then, in the 56th minute — just 122 seconds later— a Xherdan Shaqiri cross arrived at the front post. Wijnaldum met it with a firm header that flew into the corner. 3–0. 3–3 on aggregate. The comeback that had seemed impossible was suddenly one goal from completion.
Barcelona reorganise after winning a free kick. Alexander-Arnold picks up the ball at the corner flag — then immediately delivers it before defenders are in position. Origi, completely unmarked, steers it into the net. Anfield explodes. "It was impossible — but because it was them, they had a chance." — Klopp
The Corner That Defined a Night
In the 79th minute, Liverpool won a corner on the right. Trent Alexander-Arnold collected the ball and placed it, apparently going through the motions. Barcelona's defenders began walking back into their positions, several of them turning away from the ball entirely. Alexander-Arnold glanced up — and immediately whipped the ball low and hard into the six-yard box. Origi, who had not moved away, was standing at the near post, completely unmarked. He turned and stabbed the ball into the roof of the net. 4–0. 4–3 on aggregate.
Barcelona's Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitićboth later said they had been given no indication the corner would be taken quickly. Trent has said he simply saw the opportunity and took it — and Origi was ready because he never stopped concentrating. It is among the most replayed moments in Champions League history.
Match Statistics
| Liverpool | Stat | Barcelona |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Score | 0 |
| 43% | Possession | 57% |
| 13 | Total Shots | 8 |
| 7 | Shots on Target | 5 |
| 7 | Corner Kicks | 6 |
| Klopp | Manager | Valverde |
The Final — and Origi Again
Three weeks later, Liverpool faced Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final in Madrid — the first all-English final since 2008. Liverpool won 2–0 to claim their sixth European Cup — with Salah scoring from the penalty spot in the second minute and Origi sealing it in the 87th. Klopp won his first major trophy as a manager. For both, the journey had begun with that corner kick in the 79th minute at Anfield.
The lasting image of the night against Barcelona was not only the goals or the noise. It was Klopp standing in the Anfield tunnel after the full-time whistle, tears streaming down his face, unable to find words. When he finally spoke, the sentence that captured everything was also the simplest: "I said to the boys before the game that it was impossible — but because it was them, they had a chance."