UCL BREXIT: BATTLE FOR THE SOUL & FUTURE OF ENGLISH FOOTBALL

LIVERPOOL VTOTTENHAM
THE UCL BREXIT

           Many were shocked by the appearance of Liverpool and Tottenham in the final, both English clubs going head over heels in responding to 1st leg deficits (or in the case of Spurs, 2nd leg comebacks as well) and pulling off those improbable upsets without their most prolific scorers (Salah, Kane) and all around best players (Firmino, Kane) and all while staring down enemies that were appearing to outclass both English clubs on their way to a Barca v Ajax final.
         But it was not to be: the spirit of the English fans and the style of "Never say die" high tempo / high pressing play that they demand from their players won out over Ajax's renegade youth and the egotistical, cold hearted tomfoolery of Barcelona's hazardous manager, board and their club's identity crisis. 
         Liverpool made Valverde's negative tactics look like a virus that's currently infecting Barcelona's legends of the game and zapping their energy reserves and will to fight as if they were a toothless, bearded meth hag walking into the gates of dawn.
          But a lot of that has to do with Liverpool...

1. LIVERPOOL 
           Liverpool deserved to be in the final, even dominating proceedings for most of the match at the Camp Nou, something no Barcelona fan (or player) would've expected nor can forgive and forget.
            This is a team made up of world class superstars who've been at the top of their game for over a year now at the same club, with the same manager, and nearly the exact squad of the previous campaign (Hell, even Lallana and Sturridge are still here!), all with Klopp's pursuit of continuity and harmony proving to be more than mere words.
            He has erected a stable of shelter for these young guns

to emerge as world beaters and prototypes of where the future of football is going: high versatility, action-packed pressing combined with a sort of measured Blitzkrieg in possession, and an uber-athleticism that favors technical ability and lower body strength over pure, hulking gravitational pull: for example, many mention the "strength and power" of VVD without talking up his remarkable on the ball panache that has picked out countless runs like a quarterback from deep with the body of a defensive end (there you go Yanks!!!).
           I didn't think Klopp would have already taken Liverpool to the summit with 3 European finals in 4 seasons when he was announced as the man to take over from the disgraced Brendan Rodgers, but I knew his project would be worthwhile and would be more successful than the Rodgers or Benitez eras put together, if given 5 or 6 years. 

           Here we are in the years and Jurgen Klopp has the Scouse club at the apex of something legendary:
first, making history at Anfield with their classic Europa league comeback against Klopp's own former club (and players) at Dortmund in 2016 with Lallana, Lovren and Coutinho. And now here they are outclassing, outworking and dominating Barcelona (with Phil Coutinho) over two legs while providing the greatest night in Anfield history; narrowly losing to Real Madrid in last year's final due to the worst goalkeeping errors we've ever seen in a European cup final; in 2019, they stormed and raided Bayern at the Allianz Arena like a pack of hyenas.
         Due to this growth, they are now in their 2nd straight Champions League final for the first time since the fateful 1985 disaster at the Heysel.

2. HISTORY LESSON
          Liverpool are a different club now than they were on that horrendous night, 34 years ago today, though the scenes in Barcelona in the 2019 semifinals show that the hooliganism embedded within the "lad culture" of English football isn't quite dead, it's however at least marginal and incredibly less deadly than it was.
         I'm shocked how many so-called football fans haven't even heard of the Heysel disaster. 
         The scene of the crime was the Heysel stadium in Brussels, Belgium, hosting the 1985 European cup final between Liverpool (going for 2 in a row) and Paolo Rossi, Marco Tardelli and Michel Platini's Juventus. 
          With everyone from Mark Lawrenson, Phil Neal, the enigmatic Kenny Dalglish, the otherworldly Ian Rush and even ESPNFC's Stevie Nicol playing for Liverpool, it was supposed to be a coronation of the English club's dominance, as they were more cohesive and (frankly) better than the Italian club.
          But the stories weren't on the pitch, the story was over before a kick had actually taken place...
         ....it was in the stands where Reds and Juventus fans clashed in standing-only sections, just a thin, easily assailable fence to separate them.
          As soon as projectiles of piss, cherry bombs, fireworks, rocks and other debris began hitting and injuring the Juventus fans, they fled to the side of a concrete wall. But as the Liverpool fans drove in further into the Juve side, it spilled the Italian spectators into each other against a concrete wall that supported their retreat, pinning many against this wall while many were suffocated and trampled underfoot in the chaos. Then, the wall gave way, collapsing under their weight whilst causing a simultaneous stampede, hurting many while also allowing many people to escape the certainty of death against that wall and the middle of a squeezed-in crowd. 
          This horror killed 39 Juventus fans, some of them being children.
          Many sides incited the debacle and were at fault, from the stadium's decrepit state, to the idiocy and greed of Belgian ticketing promoters who sold tickets in Liverpool sections to Juventus fans, but the lion's share goes to Reds fans no matter what anyone from Liverpool will tell you. 
         They created, caused and forced that accident to happen by driving into the Juve side...twenty-six Reds fans were charged with manslaughter, while fourteen were imprisoned.
           Only four years later, the same incidents would repeat themselves with Liverpool fans as the sole victims. 
        It was an FA Cup semifinal between two powerhouses of the European game, Nottingham Forest and Dalglish's Liverpool at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield, England where Liverpool fans were dangerously allowed into a standing room only pit in the corner of the grounds thanks to the criminal insanity of Chief David Duckenfield, with the belief in the crowd that the match had already started adding to the frenzy and disarray. 
        The logistical nightmare wasn't only a disaster as far as assembling fans through the turnstiles and into a stadium safely, the Sheffield police were indeed out-numbered and intimidated by the massive gathering and sent in a crowd that was seven or eight times that of capacity, with stampedes, suffocation and other tragic and horrific consequences killing 96 Liverpool fans and causing a devastating 766 injuries. 
         Then the police lied about it for decades and tried to cover their failures up and instead, hired others to put the blame on the biggest culprits in world football of all, 1980s Public Enemy #1: Liverpool fans.
         To make matters more personal and long lasting, there was horrific press coverage from British tabloid The Sun in the aftermath, libelously accusing Liverpool fans of causing the chaos through destroying fences (a lie started by Chief David Duckenfield) and robbing the dead corpses of fellow fans. All of this: the deaths, the destruction, the ban, the legends fading with the clicks of father time, the good times lost...it was the powers that be only making sure to bury Liverpool as an English and European power in the last years of Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush.

         These incidents changed football forever and mostly for good, with standing room only seating going to the trash heap and CCTV cameras now covering every inch of the grounds. 
          But it also changed Liverpool for good: All of this and the club that once ruled English football with an iron-fisted throne has only won a single Premier League title since the events of Hillsborough and the resulting devastation upon the community.
          Think about that: 
This is the 1980s / early 90s equivalent of Barcelona with Lionel Messi (or Real Madrid when they had Cristiano Ronaldo) being sidelined by a tragedy in the stands for 5 seasons from the tournament that dictates our perspective of greatness in the modern game...             Liverpool had won the European cup in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984 with two different managers (Paisley, Fagan), two different talisman (Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish) and while retaining many players throughout the four trophy cycle (Graeme Sounness, the Kennedys, Ronny Whelan, Alan Hansen, the never-ending ruthlessness and calculation of captain Phil Neal, the only man to appear in all four finals, and my personal favorite: Jimmy Case).
        This seamless continuity created the mystique and the lore of Liverpool FC as a footballing institution...but it was shut down with venom and extreme prejudice by UEFA, mostly due to how successful they were and (let's be honest) the havoc their fans wreaked across Europe nearly every away match in that era. 
          Despite the Gerrard/Carragher/Benitez era bringing two finals and a return to glory, there was something.
         This era brought the greatest European final of all time in Istanbul 2005: the 3-3 comeback from a 3 goal deficit against titans AC Milan, with applicable heroics by Gerrard, Alonso, Vlad Smicer and Jerzey Dudek bringing much healing and inspiration to the community of Liverpool, let alone anyone who believes in coming back from anything difficult. Those Liverpool teams were competitive and feisty and you never wanted to play them, yet they weren't dominant...they didn't have the necessary force to score goals during this era and Benitez handicapped the team by way of his brutish playing style, losing the rematch against AC Milan in the 2007 final in defensive, boring and flukey ways.

3. REWRITING HISTORY
          But this current stock is no fluke, no shot in the dark, no flash in the pan, no midnight excursion to the bathroom...this back to back UCL final run has Klopp's squad among the greatest teams of the Scouse club's rich legendary history: Achieving 97 league points and a narrow 2nd place finish in the EPL is nothing to laugh at when we're talking about doing battle and keeping pace with Manchester City, a club that buys players for breakfast and hold the thickest and sickest (non-Barcelona / non-Real Madrid squad) in modern footballing memory. 
           This isn't about Liverpool being in the final and being happy to be there...this is a team aching to avenge last year's final that was stolen from them

 (we all know without Ramos breaking Salah's arm, Liverpool win that final, and that's still with the Karius errors). 
           This is a group of guys who've grown closer and a squad that's become deeply invested in one another, especially when the backups not only kept the Premier League chase on until the final day (while Firmino and Salah were out), they pulled off the impossible: spitting in the faces of lions as they backhanded Barcelona and the bloated, expensive figure of Coutinho back to the stone age. 
          Going into this match at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid, Klopp will have Firmino, Andy Robertson and Salah near full fitness after the long layoff, though the added bonus of Shaqiri and Origi rising highest against Newcastle and Barcelona will only add to Jurgen Klopp's confidence. 
           Also in reserves is the just-returned

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a player who's stature in the big moment has only been witnessed rarely, but is unquestionably of the highest order (in the Premier League and Champions League quarterfinals vs Man City last season, vs Chelsea in 2018, as well).
          They come into this final scoring 113 goals on the season, MSF producing considerably less goals compared to last campaign with 68 combined, 2017/18 saw them bulge the net 89 times combined. Salah & Mane are currently tied on 26 apiece and Bobby Firmino with 16.

          The front three have also rattled off 21 uncredited direct goal contributions (Salah with 10, Mane with 6 and Firmino with 5), many of their goals the result of rebounds, deflected passes or blocked shots falling into the path of one of MSF.           
          It hasn't been as seamless or as pretty as last season between the front three, nevertheless it has been more effective for the unit as a whole, pacing themselves as an attacking trio in order to work harder for the team, while role players all around the pitch picked up the pieces in the goals department to help carry the load (VVD & James Milner with 7, Gini Wijnaldum with 5 huge goals, Divock Origi with 5 big goals, and Shaqiri pulling off 6). 
          As hungry as Mo Salah must be for this moment to reclaim his place in last year's final along with the greats of footballing history, look for Sadio Mane to score for the second UCL final in a row. The Senegalese man even smacked the post with the score at 2-1 late against Real Madrid, too, proving this is far from a one-man Salah show.

4. 
I'LL BE YOUR WING-MAN

          Though the attacking strategy has been different this campaign, shirking the over-reliance of MSF...they've found a new wrinkle of attack to exploit this season and one that no club has been able to silence:

           With 28 direct assists from Andrew Robertson and  Trent Alexander-Arnold combined (creating 7 additional goals through uncredited direct goal contributions), the fullbacks are the root of attack for Liverpool. 
          No matter how wide or narrow the positioning of opposition wingers and fullbacks has been, no club has been able to stifle the distribution from VVD out to the wings, the Dutchman finding marauding run after run with each long ball tirelessly working the opponent. This means Liverpool aren't relying on Henderson or Milner to launch long balls from midfield if the press is on them....in fact, VVD's outrageous passing conquests make rolling the ball backwards an attacking move.     
         It then becomes nearly impossible (once the ball has found TAA or Robertson) to defend the front three as they interchange and flock to the box, one or two of them wisely folding away for the cutback thanks to both fullbacks nailing down pretty much every possible passing or crossing technique in the book.
         Will the back five of Tottenham be able to cancel out the two fullbacks' runs in this final? 
          Kierian Trippier and either Ben Davies, Danny Rose or even Jan Vertonghen will have to look to shut down any and all crossing space on the wings, yet it's also about attacking those fullbacks to pin them deep. If Tottenham allow Liverpool to come on to them with wave after wave of attack (as we saw in the first half of the 2nd leg vs Ajax), then it will be a long night for Pochettino's squad. 
           But it's suicidal, in my opinion, to go up against those versatile fullbacks and that attacking trio with a back five: even as organized and as tenacious as Pochettino can coach 'em up, there are far too many gaps in between the wing-backs and the wider center-backs in the back five to exploit.
          Exhibit A: Firmino's opener in their last meeting on March 31st depicts everything we're saying here. Robertson is picked out wide, doesn't look like much is on, but then Firmino just gallops in between a retreating Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez and punishes them with a skying leap and towering header that would eventually prove to make the difference in the close 2-1 contest.
          If Pochettino wants to stretch TAA and Robertson wide with his positioning of Trippier and Rose, then he'll force them to attack narrower and with more patience. That can only buy Spurs time, as it merely changes the angle from which the crosses and passes will come from Robbo and TAA; we've seen some delicate & vibrant assists from inside the wings by the pairing this campaign, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson showing they can find solace and time tucked inside and have both created chances from nearly every area on the pitch. 
          These Liverpool fullbacks will take advantage anywhere they can find it and since they're fantastic at possessing the ball, it's going to be tough labor for the Spurs wide men. 
   If Poch goes with a back five (exposing his middle three and wing-backs when caught up the pitch in attack) it will make for an extremely open match due to Liverpool scoring early goals.
           Tottenham could answer with their own firepower: Kierian Trippier is behind only Kroos and Neymar for most in the tournament per 90 (while playing many more matches), while Danny Rose is cutting a restored, rejuvenated figure on the left, though his end product has always left us wanting.
           A back five is something Poch cannot afford to do as it exposes his midfield, forces gaps which will give those fullbacks (and front three) space out wide and in between the three central defenders, and Liverpool would have a field day.
           His solution should be a narrower back four of Trippier, Alderweireld and Vertonghen together in the middle and Danny Rose, but if Ben Davies is 100% fit, I would start him given his fantastic final third abilities and relationship with Kane. 
          But the key here is having the two Belgians alongside each other, plugging those gaps in the channels in between the middle three and the outside wing-backs that can be routinely exploited, and eschewing the route of ultimate responsibility and isolation on those wing-backs who'll have to track back 80% of the match anyway.

5.
TOTTENHAM:
 WAR (VAR) AGAINST THE WORLD
           I know Spurs fans...I'm sorry...it appears we think of this final as Liverpool's jaunt to reclaiming history and passing Bayern Munich and Barcelona with their 6th European crown all time, Tottenham Hotspur are in their first ever Champions League final.
            It has been a season of firsts for this Spurs side: their first at their new stadium, their first competitive match at Camp Nou (earning a masterful draw), their first ever domination of a major European club in the knockout stages when they destroyed Dortmund 4-0 on aggregate, the first tie ever truly decided by VAR against Man City, being able to grab results without Kane or Alli for long stretches for the first time in those players' tenure, and now they're in their first semifinal and final.
           To claim it's been remarkable that they're at this juncture doesn't do the achievement justice. 
       Saying It's one of the most improbable Champions League runs in modern times, nay the millennium, is putting it mildly. They needed two Harry Kane goals to rally them back to a 2-2 draw with PSV just to stay alive in the group stage; Spurs later needed a last second Eriksen winner vs Inter Milan and (of course that name and time again) a 90th minute equalizer from Lucas Moura at Camp Nou just to get them out of the group stage as runners-up.
          Many say Spurs don't belong in this final and Man City do: I would slightly agree with this sentiment considering how harshly ruinous those two woefully wrong VAR decisions that went against them were and are, propping Spurs up at the moment they thought Eriksen had coughed it away. 
           But in surviving the thunderstorm of Ajax in all their 2019 glory?????
           Tottenham deserve to be here after that last second comeback against the team of the Champions League in 2019.
           No, scratch that: Spurs earned their place when they battled City goal for goal in a breathtaking first half of the 2nd leg at the Etihad, attacking ruthlessly and precisely without Harry Kane for a leg and a half. They then fought back, down 2-0 (3-0 on aggregate) to Ajax, without their talismanic striker yet again, even surviving without Son Heung-Min for the 1st leg, too.
            Match after match, one player would go down and another would take his place and deliver in a monumental way that would alter the tie, proving what an absolute coaching gem Pochettino is. 

6. THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

           Now what we have is two squads deepened by their experience, healthier and fitter after the layoff, and managed by two surgical professionals anxious to top each other for the marvel of all bragging rights in England.
           When watching their meetings in 2018/19, the gap between the two is minute at best: Klopp's side oozes technical prowess and fierce, fiery thrust, while Pochettino's side is measured, aggressive and tactically secure. 
            Both teams love to get on the ball, building from the back and into the cogs of midfield, spreading the opponent wide with the full/wing-backs plowing high and wide up the pitch. Both teams love to press high, look to dominate the ball as much as they can (even going conservative for possession's sake and will patiently probe.
             The familiarity between the two sides will be an added bonus for neutrals: in the previous all-English, Spanish or German finals, we've seen explosive attacking willingness and intensive competition breaking out into historical satisfaction for us all: The Bayern-Dortmund final (Klopp managed) in 2013 was one of high quality and outstanding offensive power, the Chelsea-United final of 2008 was a great game with a masterpiece ending that John Terry and Wayne Bridge's wife will remember forever.
     

           Most likely this final will go down to the wire, though if Liverpool start hot and learn to fly early, expect Spurs to try to possess at all costs and take the sting out of the game. But once again, the Reds could easily press Spurs' back line into mistakes, never allowing them to possess comfortably and start passing moves from the back....if Spurs have a hope (which they more than do as the UCL-Lazarus of 2019), they'll do anything to avoid an early goal to Liverpool at all costs, but if there is one, they'll need Kane, Alli, Son and Eriksen to respond immediately. But in rushing off to do so, Tottenham could play right into the hands of Klopp's Gegen-pressing heavy metal blitzkrieg.
           Another factor that will be a huge decider of the game (jointly crucial alongside controlling the moments of transition): who can press who's back line into mistakes or turnovers, let alone stuffing passing lanes and space for Firmino, Milner or Eriksen to fold into and create from open gaps in midfield.
           On the other side of this life, could Spurs force Firmino deep and keep him there??? Silencing the Brazilian in a four man / all-angles pressing cage and leaving him unable to carry the ball into danger areas (isolating him from Salah and Mane simultaneously)????
          It will be a final of cat and mouse as both clubs push and pull for possession and positional authority. It really helps the theatrical elements of this finale when both teams are led by two Top Gun managers unafraid to make world class adjustments that could change the flow of the match completely.

           For that matter, the substitutes will be massive for both managers (with a 4th substitution being allowed in extra time finally in the UCL).

Hawwwwwy Kaaaane: Fresh From a Tom Brady poster circle jerk

          With news of Kane's positive fitness, Lucas Moura's finishing and lung bursting runs will most likely be coming from the bench to provide a completely different tactical set up than merely Kane, Son and Alli if Alisson and VVD prove to be impossible to breach.
          In conclusion, this is a final that will be won not by talent, not by talk, nor by tactics: in 2019, Champions League advancement is judged by the heart, a vessel of triumph that both clubs displayed in paramount situations and with everything on the line.
         No matter what happens in the first 30 minutes, or what has transpired by the 80th, this will only be over when the referee blows the final whistle: Liverpool and Tottenham never say die, and even in this moment where one must, it feels as if it'll be one of those finals where both participants are evenly remembered for forcing the other to rip it away from them in a ghastly reminder of the house of cards in which these football stars' achievements are decided.
          My final keys to victory for either side:

1. WHERE'S VICTOR VALDEZ WHEN YOU NEED HIM?

          Stopping the passing game out of the back & forcing errors in the pressing game. Whichever club forces a goal from an error will win the match.

2. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE PERRRTY

       Which team controls the transition and wins those loose balls in the box will win the title: 6 of Salah's 10 uncredited direct goal contributions  (unofficial assists) have come from opponents breaking up the Egyptian's threatening dribbling, only for the ball to spill to a ready Liverpool player to slam home...Spurs have also scored many goals like this (see Harry Kane vs Everton).

3. SUPERSUBS:
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      Which group of players can make the difference from the bench? Spurs' Moura or even the lumbering leaning tower of Llorente up top, Winks and Wanyama in midfield, Davies and Sanchez in defense; or Liverpool's Shaqiri, Origi, Daniel Sturridge in attack, Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield and Joe Gomez or Dejan Lovren in defense?
         Watch for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to play a colossal role in the final regardless of what minute he appears. He will play considering his torn ACL (suffered in the first 18 minutes of last year's semifinal vs Roma) has seen him miss the entire season until a few matches ago and he's also one of Jurgen Klopp's favorite players at his disposal.
         If Poch makes it rough and tough sledding for Liverpool's midfield, look for Oxlade-Chamberlain to come from the bench and open play up quickly, as the Englishman looked as if he hadn't missed a match all season when he played a few cameo minutes recently.

4. KEEPERS OF THE FLAME? OR... KEEPERS INFLAMED??:

          Which keeper has a big error in them? Will Alisson's purchase matter for nothing when he commits another error (like his "dribbling attempt" vs Leicester) in yet  another final cursed by a Reds keeper?
       Alisson has earned the right to make a howler, as his heroics vs Napoli and Barcelona kept Liverpool in the UCL by the frayed hairs of their balls, though if he were to cough up a goal and cost the 'Pool their second straight final, would they ever remember him for anyone more than a "Brazilian Karius"?
      Or could it it be Hugo Lloris? 
      The Frenchman is readily capable of making eye-popping saves (his diving touch that saved a Caceres header vs Uruguay in the World Cup) and horrendous

schoolboy errors in the next match (his mis-controlled pass being ripped away and tucked into the net in the World Cup final by Mandzukic). 

          Lloris has not only made some shocking errors in the World Cup final, but his ridiculous positioning on the Eder strike in extra time of the Euro 2016 final. His laziness in that moment collapsed the French team and lost the title in a tournament they hosted.

         Oh and...remember that own goal only two months ago vs Liverpool? That was a shocking piece of goalkeeping that caused even Pochettino to confiscate Hugo's car keys after the match.

       Liverpool can get to Lloris in the press at the back when Tottenham attempt to build the attack from there, but I'm not as confident in the passing range of Davinson Sanchez or Kierian Trippier in a back five to be able to navigate around the dangers and intensity of flying feet coming into them as they attempt to look for an option, let alone getting rid of the ball conservatively when it's time to stop pretending to be Victor Valdez and clear the damn ball.

         Even still, Hugo Lloris is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet, as long as he's breathalyzed prior to the final, Spurs should be okay.

5. UNDER THE INFLUENCE

          When talking about influence in this final most would spit out Kane and Salah, maybe Mane. The right answer is actually Eriksen, Firmino and Dele Alli for the players who could really take this game over.
          Whichever centrally based attacker can penetrate the lines with a couple of through balls, which of the three can rob possession in the final third and finally, which of the three can create the most chances will help their team win this momentous final.
          As for the most important player in the final???
           Look no further than Dele Alli...constantly forgotten, usually criticized, and wisely respected by the best in the game.

             Alli has done it all for Tottenham in this campaign (after returning from injury layoffs post-World Cup), thrashing Chelsea with a goal and an assist, ridding Spurs of Arsenal with another match winning display, saving the club's Champions League lives (along with Eriksen) when he assisted the Dane's last second winner over Inter, and creating the two Moura goals vs Ajax that dragged Spurs through the fire by the collar of their shredded shirt.       

         Alli's assists and unselfish play went unnoticed and unappreciated when if you watch those passes, they're divine (especially the 2nd)...if Messi makes those passes, he's being hailed.
           Alli's haters only seem to take comfort in the shutting of their mouths when the young Brit is scoring goals himself, but too bad for their feeble, desensitized FIFA19/YouTube highlight video-brains because Alli's game has expanded.
          He's become an all around better player, dropping deeper and offering more work and effort for the unit. It's been his brutal pressing qualities and ability to pass through the opposition press that has set him a part for a huge role against Liverpool.
            There you have it. Now time for the predictions:
     
LINEUPS:
Spurs:
GK Lloris
RB Trippier
CB Alderweireld 
CB Vertonghen 
LB Rose
DM Wanyama 
CAM Eriksen 
CM Sissoko 
CM Alli
CF Son
CF Kane 

Liverpool:
GK Alisson
RB TAA
CB Gomez
CB VVD
LB Robertson 
DM Henderson 
RCM Fabinho
LCM Milner 
LF Mane
CF Firmino 
RF Salah
            
PREDICTION
- 6th minute: Alexander-Arnold corner to VVD 
- 27th minute: Eriksen assist to Alli
- 44th minute: Mane off the post 
- 57th minute: Alli assist to Kane
- 77th minute: Milner assist to Mane
- 94th minute: TAA clearance off line
- 99th minute: Salah off the post
- 109th minute: Kane re-injury, subs off
- 112th minute: Oxlade-Chamberlain assist to Firmino
- 122nd minute: Vertonghen red card in stoppage time 
3-2 After Extra time
(LIVERPOOL WIN)
          

by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN May 29th, 2019