LIVERPOOL: Manager Jurgen Klopp hailed his Liverpool players after their magnificent recovery against Barcelona at Anfield.

He said he could never remember such a match, adding: “The boys are f***ing mentality giants – it’s believable. If you have to fine me, fine me. I’m not native so I don’t have better words for it. Winning is difficult but with a clean sheet, I don’t know how they did it.

“The whole game was too much. It was overwhelming. We played against maybe the best team in world. Winning is difficult but winning with a clean sheet, I don’t know they did it. It’s unbelievable.

“I saw James Milner crying on the pitch after the game. It means so much to all of us. It’s the best phase of football. There are more important things in the world. But creating this emotional atmosphere together is so special. It’s all about the players.

“The mix of potential and unbelievable heart is just a mix I never saw before. You have to be confident in a game like this. Divock [Origi] and [Xherdan] Shaqiri didn’t play a lot. Putting a performance in like that, it was so important. It shows what’s possible in football. It’s so nice. It’s really nice.

“We had to be serious. But we needed to be cheeky as well. It was necessary. Barcelona defend predictable things well. But you need to be unpredictable at moments. I saw the ball flying in the goal, I didn’t see the corner. I didn’t see who took the corner. Ben Woodburn said ‘what happened?’”

“I said to them, before the game: ‘I don’t think it’s possible but, because it’s you, maybe we have a chance. I will remember for ever, 100 per cent.”

Two-goal supersub Wijnaldum said: “After the game in Spain we were confident we could score four. People outside doubted us. They thought we couldn’t do it. But once again we showed everything is possible in football.

“I was really angry that the manager put me on the bench. I just tried to help my team, I’m happy I could do that with two goals.”

Barcelona’s beaten coach, Ernesto Valverde, said: “Things got on top of us after those two quick goals. We didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet and they rolled us over really.

“It’s a terrible result for our fans and for ourselves. It’s really, really unfortunate, but credit to Liverpool. We tried to sit a little bit deeper, but the tie ended for us with the fourth goal. We couldn’t respond.

“I do not know how it’s going to affect me but here we are, the coach has to take responsibility. It’s very painful for us, especially for our people, it’s the second year they’ve come back like that.”

Veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets said: “I apologise to the fans because after the Rome thing, it happens again, it is very hard to fall like that with a good result in the first leg.”

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