Liverpool got their hands on the Champions League trophy thanks to an early Mo Salah penalty before Divock Origi sealed the club’s sixth European Cup success with a late goal.
Salah scored the second-quickest goal in a Champions League final after Sadio Mane had kicked the ball against Moussa Sissoko’s outstretched arm in the 22 second at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday night.
While the decision looked controversial at first, Sissoko should never have arm out in the penalty area in the first place.
After that, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds kept Spurs in check, even with star striker Harry Kane back in the side.
Andy Robertson forced a save from Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in a lacklustre first half as the match failed to get out of first gear.
HANDBALL: Moussa Sissoko. Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters.
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino delayed his changes at the break, bringing on his semifinal hattrick hero Lucas Moura with 25 minutes to go.
It brought the Londonders to life and Spurs put Liverpool under real pressure in the latter stages as Dele Alli headed over and Son Heung-min and Moura forced impressive saves from Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
But there was no turnaround like at Ajax Amsterdam for Spurs.
Origi, one of Liverpool’s heroes in their stunning semifinal second-leg comeback against Barcelona, then killed the game.
Special weekend. Special season. Special team.
Up the Reds ❤️ pic.twitter.com/5i6DXpQY3r
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 2, 2019
The Belgian substitute striker came off the bench and sealed victory in the 87th minute with a ruthless finish into the bottom corner.
The victory for the Reds was sweet redemption for Salah and especially Klopp, who had suffered defeat in his last six major finals, including Champions League showpieces with Borussia Dortmund in 2013 and Liverpool last year.
BEAUTIFUL!! ❤️ #SixTimes pic.twitter.com/UJUXoz9Y3W
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 2, 2019
It was Liverpool’s first Champions League triumph since their incredible comeback against AC Milan in 2005, which took them ahead of Barcelona and Bayern Munich on the all-time list and means they only trail Milan on seven triumphs and Real Madrid with 13.
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) June 2, 2019
The win was reward for an outstanding season in which they picked up a club record 97 points in the Premier League but finished behind Manchester City, falling just short of a first league title in 29 years.