Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (4-3 agg): Champions League player ratings
Liverpool
Alisson 9/10 Fine saves from Lionel Messi, twice, Philippe Coutinho, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez denied Barcelona the precious away goal. A commanding performance.
Trent Alexander-Arnold 9 Created the second goal through sheer force of will and the crucial fourth with incredible speed of thought. First to everything.
Joël Matip 9 Coolness personified. Dominant in the air, unruffled by the antics around him and read the danger superbly.
Virgil van Dijk 9 His organisational skills were to the fore as he marshalled the traps for Messi and dominated Suárez.
Andy Robertson 7 Relished the occasion, as in the Camp Nou. Riled Messi and continued to threaten even after suffering the injury that forced his half-time substitution.
Jordan Henderson 9 Led by example despite being hindered by a knee injury. Started like a train and made the opening goal with a surging run.
Fabinho 9 In an awkward spot after a harsh early booking and with Messi running at him but was undeterred. A midfield force.
James Milner 8 Snapped into tackles and disrupted Barcelona’s rhythm whenever possible. Distribution not always accurate but kept looking for a killer ball.
Xherdan Shaqiri 7 Handed his first start since January in place of the concussed Salah and his rustiness showed at times. Superb cross for the third, however.
Divock Origi 9 The unlikely hero once again. Gave Liverpool hope with his early goal, shattered Barcelona with his late goal and carried the fight at every opportunity.
Sadio Mané 9 Unnerved the Barcelona defence once again with his pace and intelligent movement. Sergi Roberto never knew what to do with him.
Substitutes
Georginio Wijnaldum (for Robertson 46) – 9Joe Gomez (for Origi 85) – 6Daniel Sturridge (for Shaqiri 90) – 5
Barcelona
Marc-André ter Stegen 4/10 Calm with the ball at his feet but powerless to prevent Liverpool transforming the semi-final. Could have done better with the second goal.
Sergi Roberto 3 Surprisingly kept his place at right-back after a torrid time against Mané in the first leg. Struggled all over again.
Gerard Pique 4 Positional play important again but lacked the authority he showed in Barcelona and toiled against Liverpool’s crosses.
Clement Lenglet 3 Weak in the challenge for the opening goal, as was Pique, and rattled by the intensity of the home display.
Jordi Alba 3 The polar opposite of his first leg performance. His dreadful mistake led to the first goal and made poor decisions throughout.
Arturo Vidal 3 Looked tired in mind and body. Failed to impose himself on the game and frequently overrun by the home midfielders.
Sergio Busquets 6 Tried to inject much-needed composure into his team’s display and passed crisply but too often let down by those around him.
Ivan Rakitic 4 Took the game to Liverpool in the first half and at the heart of Barça’s brightest moves before fading badly after the interval.
Philippe Coutinho 3 An anonymous return to Anfield. Repeated his first-leg performance by producing a few tidy touches and then vanishing.
Lionel Messi 4 No magic this time. Had a second-half sulk as the dream of another final collapsed around him. Beaten long before the final whistle.
Luis Suárez 3 Berated by the Kop for his theatrics and not given a sniff of an opportunity by the Liverpool defence. A nightmare return.
Substitutes
Nélson Semedo (for Coutinho 60) – 4Arthur (for Vidal 75) – 4Malcolm (for Rakitic 80) – 4