Uefa Champions League: Jurgen Klopp has transformed Liverpool 'from doubters to believers'

Likes of Jordan Henderson, Virgil van Dijk and Xherdan Shaqiri credit belief and 'never give up' attitude for victory over Barcelona

Alisson: 7 out of 10. Liverpool goalkeeper would have expected a busier night against Lionel Messi and Co. Made important saves though to deny Barcelona a crucial away goal. EPA

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 9/10: A playmaker playing at right-back. Assisted for two of Liverpool's goals. His manager Jurgen Klopp described his quick corner for Divock Origi to smash home Liverpool's fourth as 'genius'. He's not wrong. Reuters

Joel Matip: 7/10. The Cameroonian is the most underrated player in this Liverpool side. His passing is equal to that of centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk. AFP

Virgil van Dijk: 8/10: A colossus at the back. Luis Suarez hardly got a look in. Almost scored with an outrageous back-heel from a corner. Reuters

Andrew Robertson: 6/10: Clashed with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in a fiery first half before being forced off injured. Reuters

Jordan Henderson: 8/10. The Liverpool captain has been transformed in the latter stages of the season. His burst into the box and shot led to Liverpool's opening goal for Origi and he was a constant threat throughout. AFP

Fabinho: 7/10. A real dog of war. Constantly harassing Barcelona players in possession and put in some epic tackles. Reuters

James Milner: 8/10. Liverpool's Mr Versatile. Keeps the engine running and slotted in effortlessly at left-back after Robertson was forced off injured. EPA

Xherdan Shaqiri: 6/10. Played in the absence of the injured Mohamed Salah. Solid if unspectacular. Reuters

Divock Origi: 9/10: The Belgian has a habit of scoring important goals. None were more vital than his brace against Barca. EPA

Sadio Mane: 7/10. The Senegal terrifies opposition defences with his electrifying pace and outside to in runs. Barca couldn't handle him. AFP

Georginio Wijnaldum: 9/10: Came on for the injured Andy Robertson and turned the game with two goals in as many minutes. His header for the third goal was a thing of beauty. Few substitutes have made a greater impact on a match of such magnitude. AFP

Joe Gomez: 5/10. Little time to make an impact. Reuters

Daniel Sturridge: 4/10: A late introduction from the bench as Liverpool wound down the clock. Reuters

Marc-Andre ter Stegen: 6/10. Was unlucky to see the ball rebound off his ribcage and in after saving Wijnaldum's initial effort for Liverpool's second. Reuters

Sergi Roberto: 7/10. Struggled to contain Mane and Robertson down Liverpool's left. Looked much more comfortable in midfield after Philippe Coutinho's withdrawal. AFP

Gerard Pique: 5/10: Got pulled from pillar to post by Liverpool's attack. Saw the danger too late as Origi smashed home Liverpool's fourth goal. AFP

Clement Lenglet: 6/10: Like Pique struggled to contain the relentlessness of Liverpool's foray forwards. Reuters

Jordi Alba: 5/10: The Spanish speedster looked a threat going forward but always looked suspect at the back. It was the left-back's poor backwards header that allowed Sadio Mane to intercept and that would eventually lead to Origi opening the scoring. Reuters

Arturo Vidal: 7/10: One of Barca's better performers. Looked comfortable on the ball and stuck to his defensive task well. Surprising the Chilean midfielder was withdrawn by Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde. AFP

Philippe Coutinho: 5/10. An unsuccessful first return to Anfield. The Brazilian is not missed by Liverpool and the money received for his transfer to Barcelona has been invested to make the team one of the best in Europe. EPA

Sergio Busquets. 6/10. Never got enough time to dictate the tempo of Barca's play. Overshadowed by Fabinho. AFP

Ivan Rakitic: 6/10. Tried to take the fight to Liverpool but was let down by the performances of too many of his Barcelona teammates. EPA

Luis Suarez: 6/10. Another Liverpool old boy returning to Anfield without much joy. Was his usual irritating self and forced Alisson into some smart saves, but was largely shackled by Matip and Van Dijk. EPA

Lionel Messi: 7/10. Was clearly rattled by an early altercation with Robertson. Probed with his passing but the Barcelona captain's radar experienced a rare off night in front of goal. EPA

Arthur: 5/10. No time to make an impact of the substitutes bench. AFP

Nelson Semedo: 6/10. Looked to get forward at every opportunity from right-back after replacing the ineffective Coutinho, but with little joy. Reuters

Malcom: 5/10. Brazilian winger was brought on to add attacking thrust but too often killed any momentum Barcelona generated. EPA

Go back three-and-a-half years, before arguably the greatest Anfield European night of all, before the biggest turnaround in Uefa Champions League semi-final history, before a comeback that drew comparisons with Istanbul, and Jurgen Klopp marked his unveiling as Liverpool manager to produce what remains the defining quote of his regime.

“We have to change from doubters to believers,” he said.

Rewind a week, to a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou that outsiders assumed ended Liverpool's chances of reaching a second successive Champions League final. Liverpool believed.

“I said after the game in Barcelona that anything is possible,” Virgil van Dijk countered. “We believed from the start. We could still do it. Everyone was saying that we couldn’t but we showed it.”

“Honestly, it is just belief,” Xherdan Shaqiri echoed. Jordan Henderson elaborated: “The manager has ingrained that into us. No matter what happens, you keep fighting right until the end. We showed if you never give up, you can produce special things.”

Klopp, his captain said, had heeded his own advice when it came to his pre-match team talk. “He said we can enjoy the night and maybe tell the grandkids one day it was a special night,” Henderson added.

The injured Mohamed Salah's T-shirt, reading "never give up", served as Liverpool's motto. In the process, they surprised even themselves. The dressing room, Shaqiri said, was: "Crazy. Everyone was shocked, like they couldn't believe it."

Belief made the unbelievable fact. Liverpool scored four more goals than Barcelona. They ran seven kilometres more than them. They even thought quicker than them when Trent Alexander-Arnold, the youngest man on the pitch, showed the precocious maturity to take the quick corner that Divock Origi steered in for the decider.

“I didn’t see it,” Van Dijk said. Nor did Klopp. Nor did Barcelona.

In a different sense, they probably did not see Gini Wijnaldum coming either. The scorer of three goals in 44 games struck twice in three minutes to become the architect of an upset. Now only Ian Rush has scored more goals in European Cup semi-finals for Liverpool than the unassuming Wijnaldum.

The normally amiable Dutchman said he was “angry” with Klopp for putting him on the bench but not since Vladimir Smicer in the 2005 Champions League final has a Liverpool substitute done so much on such a stage.

“You see how Gini reacted,” Henderson added. “It was outstanding. That is what you need from players.”

But Origi became the most symbolic figure, the willing runner turned destroyer of Barcelona’s dreams, the inspired understudy who overshadowed Lionel Messi. Salah and Roberto Firmino watched their deputies excel.

“Divock and Shaq were unbelievable coming in for Bobby and Mo,” Henderson said. “Two of the world’s best players were not missed.”

Shaqiri had not started since January, but he provided the inch-perfect cross for Wijnaldum’s second goal.

Depleted, supposedly down and out, Liverpool instead looked the best team in the world. Hassled, harried, flustered, busted, Barcelona seemed overwhelmed.

“It cannot be that in a minute we concede two goals,” said Luis Suarez, who had pledged not to celebrate at Anfield and had nothing to celebrate. “The fourth goal, we looked like youngsters.”

But they also looked an ageing team. They had the reputations, the silverware from success, but Liverpool had the legs, the attitude, the enterprising approach of a team relishing the sense of boundless possibility.

Klopp’s natural belief has been married with a faith in people. It explains a capacity to extract performances that few thought possible. Alexander-Arnold, the youngster who set up two goals, is often emblematic.

“If you look at [Joel] Matip today, unbelievable,” his central-defensive partner Van Dijk marvelled. Matip was Liverpool’s fourth-choice centre-back earlier in the season. He produced one wonderful interception when Messi was slaloming his way towards the Liverpool goal in mesmeric fashion.

Belief manifested itself in bravery. Liverpool’s willingness to press Barcelona seemed to backfire when they left Camp Nou with a 3-0 defeat. They raised the tempo further at Anfield.

“Not many teams make it that difficult for Barcelona,” Van Dijk said. “How we pressed them. How we created chances against them. Put them in difficult situations.

"You have to be brave. You have take a lot of risk defensively and we did it.”

Liverpool took their risks and reaped a huge reward. Henderson took painkillers at half time but remained the driving force. A much-maligned man stands to join the Liverpool legends Emlyn Hughes and Steven Gerrard plus Nottingham Forest’s double European Cup-winning captain John McGovern as the only men to lead an English club in two Champions League finals.

He lingered longest on the pitch afterwards, savouring it, singing the anthem “Allez Allez Allez” with both arms raised towards the Main Stand. Where, a World Cup semi-finalist was asked, did it rank in his career?

“It has to be the top,” he replied. “It was an unbelievable night.”