Liverpool's pulsating come-from-behind victory against Villarreal has not only kept the Reds on course for a seventh European Cup but also set an incredible new record in the process.
Jurgen Klopp's side looked to be in serious trouble on Tuesday evening when their 2-0 first leg lead was wiped out by first half goals from Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin. But three goals in 15 minutes after the break, via Fabinho, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane turned the match on it's head and secured a passage to the Paris final on May 28 for the Reds.
The result confirmed another classic European away win for Liverpool, but in doing so they have now set a quite remarkable new Champions League record. The Merseyside club has become the first team ever to win all six of their Champions League away matches in a single campaign.
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In what was initially dubbed the 'group of death', Liverpool faced FC Porto, Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, but passed every tested with flying colours. The Reds produced an accomplished performance to defeat Porto - and Diaz - 5-1 in their own stadium, before edging past Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid 3-2 at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. The Reds final group stage victory came at the San Siro, with a 2-1 result against seven times champions Milan.
Klopp's side were originally drawn to face RB Salzburg in the knockout round-up of 16, but a technical error resulted in a re-draw that paired the Merseysiders with Inter Milan instead. It mattered little as a return to the San Siro yielded another win - this time 2-0 after the hosts had made a bright start.
A second Portuguese side would suffer at the hands of Klopp's mentality monsters at the quarter-final stage, as Benfica endured a 3-1 defeat in their own magnificent stadium. An entertaining 3-3 draw at Anfield was enough to put the Reds into the semi-finals. Victory against Villarreal had looked in serious doubt when the Yellow Submarines lead 2-0 at half-time, but the introduction of Diaz appeared to change the course of the contest and in doing so helped secure a new European record for the Anfield archives.
