Champions League 2021-22: Liverpool's road to the final
Premier League giants Liverpool will be facing Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 final this weekend. The Reds outpaced Spanish side Villarreal in the semis to reach a third final in five seasons. Liverpool, who won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup in the 2021-22 season, will be aiming for the Champions League title next. We decode their journey.
Liverpool maintained a 100% record in the group stage. They topped Group B, collecting 18 points from six games. The Reds forwarded 17 goals, besides conceding six. Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-2 on matchday one. On matchday 2, they demolished Porto 5-1. They sealed 3-2 and 2-0 wins over Atletico Madrid next. They followed it up by beating Porto 2-0 and Milan 2-1.
Liverpool beat Inter Milan 2-0 at the San Siro in a crucial round of 16 first leg encounter. The match was goalless at half-time before Robert Firmino and Mohamed Salah scored late on to help the Reds gain a significant advantage. In the return leg, 10-man Inter Milan won 1-0 at Anfield. However, Liverpool progressed on basis of a 2-1 aggregate score.
Jurgen Klopp's men eearned an impressive 3-1 win over Benfica in the quarter-final first leg tie. The Reds ran out clear winners with goals from Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane, and Luis Diaz. By sealing the match, Liverpool won eight consecutive away matches in all competitions for the first time in their history. In the second leg, the two teams played out a 3-3 draw.
Two second-half goals saw Liverpool beat Villarreal in their UCL semi-final first leg tie. An own goal by Pervis Estupinan in the 53rd minute, followed by Sadio Mane's effort two minutes later, saw Liverpool claim victory in a game they dominated throughout. In the second leg, Liverpool were 2-0 down at half-time. However, Liverpool scored three goals to win 5-2 on aggregate.
Mohamed Salah has been the top scorer for the Reds with eight goals. He has also made two assists. Roberto Firmino follows suit with five goals. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson have three assists each.
