If you’re a Liverpool fan, then we’re guessing you woke up this morning in a rather good mood.
Or with a hangover.
Either way, the Reds have reached the Champions League final for the first time in 11 years to cap off a simply brilliant campaign.
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Liverpool have blown us away in the competition this season, netting an eye-watering 46 goals on their way to the final – breaking the Champions League record for goals in a season in the process.
Along the way, the Reds have silenced plenty of doubters who believed Jurgen Klopp’s boys were in the competition to simply make up the numbers.
Hoffenheim were unbeatable at home
Liverpool’s Champions League journey started way back in August in Germany when they took on Bundesliga giants Hoffenheim in the play-off.
It seems so long ago now, doesn’t it?
Few were confident of their chances against the German side.
They’d impressed during the previous Bundesliga campaign, going unbeaten at home throughout the 2016/17 season, while their young manager Julian Nagelsmann being talked up as one of the biggest up-and-comers in Europe.
But in the end, they needn’t of worried.
Liverpool won the first-leg at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena 2-1, with youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick the standout moment of the tie.
And back at Anfield for the second-leg, the Reds duly won 4-2 to secure passage into the group stage.
Porto were in the midst of an incredible run
Liverpool eased their way through the group stage, fending off Sevilla, Spartak Moscow and Maribor to top the group.
Next up, they faced Porto in the last 16.
The Portuguese giants weren’t exactly the most frightening of opponents, but Liverpool hadn’t reached the Champions League knockout round in nine years and weren’t exactly going to take this one lightly.
What’s more, Porto were in incredible form at the time, topping the Primeira Liga and going unbeaten in their last 23 matches in all competitions at that stage.
But the Reds turned the form book on it’s head by blowing them away 5-0 in the first-leg at the Estadio do Dragao.
A hat-trick for Sadio Mane and further goals for Roberio Firmino and Mohamed Salah secured the result, which broje the record for Porto’s heaviest home European defeat and the first time they conceded more than three goals in a home European match.
Liverpool also became the first English side to score five goals in an away Champions League knockout match, and it didn’t really matter that the second-leg finished goalless.
Man City were the Champions League favourites and Premier League leaders
If we all thought Porto was a daunting trip, then what about facing the Premier League leaders?
Liverpool against Man City was the match we all wanted in the Champions League, especially considering the pair played out one of the Premier League games of the season back in January – a 4-3 thriller that went in favour of the Reds.
At this point, Liverpool were the only side to have beaten City in the Premier League this season and fans and experts were beginning to genuinely believe in this side.
It took Klopp’s boys just 31 minutes to secure a three-goal lead and genuinely throw City’s season into chaos.
Not even Salah coming off with an injury towards the end of the game could tarnish the first-leg result, while the Egyptian King was back for the second-leg to spearhead a 5-1 aggregate result.
Roma hadn’t conceded at home in the Champions League
The people were expecting Barcelona versus Man City at this stage of the competition, but instead they got Liverpool up against Roma after the Italians knocked out Barca in the quarter-final.
In many ways, Roma were the ultimate underdogs in this season’s competition, topping Group C ahead of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid and keeping clean sheets in all five of their European matches at Stadio Olimpico.
But in usual style, the Reds were able to blow them away at Anfield – winning the first-leg at home 5-2 – before weathering the storm Rome to go through 7-6 on aggregate.
Now all they need to do is beat Real Madrid in the final.
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