Liverpool fans’ hearts were broken on Wednesday night when their first European final in nine years ended in a 3-1 defeat to Spanish side Sevilla.
Daniel Sturridge gave the Reds the perfect start with a superbly-taken goal on the half hour, but the Spanish side, who win their third Europa League trophy on the bounce, recovered in the second half with goals from Kevin Gamiero and Coke (2).
Jurgen Klopp can perhaps feel aggrieved with the defeat having watched his side play the better football in the first half – and the Reds were also denied what looked like two certain penalties then had a goal disallowed – but Sevilla were clinical and took advantage of a lethargic second-half showing.
The defeat is a bitter blow for the Reds, who will now be without European football next season, but where did it all go wrong? Ashley Thornton-Jones has his say:
The loss of Henderson and Origi
Many fans don’t deem the duo to be worthy of starting places at Anfield, but both hold crucial roles in the way that Klopp wants his side to play.
Henderson, in particular, has faced criticism for performances in a red shirt this season, whilst many still favour Daniel Sturridge over Belgian Origi – despite five goals in five games prior to injury – but the energy that both players offer are key in what Klopp wants his side to do without the ball.
In the second half particularly, Sevilla stretched the pitch and won the midfield battle with ease, whilst their second goal typified Liverpool’s struggles in a half during which they looked tired, lazy and uninterested, when in fact the Reds just didn’t have the correct front six to apply any effective pressure.
Klopp takes pride in his sides’ ability to force the opposition into mistakes, so much so that he has controversially opted for Origi over the more technically-sound Sturridge this season in an attempt to apply that pressure effectively, but not being able to put either in from the start last night hurt how the Reds played without the ball, as shown in the ease at which Sevilla cut through for the second goal.
It was a case of putting square pegs in round holes; Firmino, Can and Sturridge have their undeniable qualities, but when all three play – and even more so against a team who is as comfortable in possession as Sevilla is – the amount of pressure that Liverpool are allowed to put on the opposition without the ball suffers, and it cost them yesterday against an experienced and well-drilled side who are no strangers to moving the ball quickly.
Individual mistakes
For all the planning and preparation that the manager, coaches, backroom staff and players put into such a big game, there’s only so much that can be accounted for on the pitch.
Alberto Moreno had two chances to halt the opening goal, but instead invited pressure onto his side in a dangerous area – firstly with a poor header, then secondly with a half-hearted tackle which Mariano skipped with ease prior to teeing up Gamiero. Unfortunately, mistakes from the Spaniard are becoming all too common of an occurrence recently, and Klopp could hardly be blamed for adding ‘left-back’ to what seems like becoming an increasingly lengthening shopping list this summer.
Mignolet, too, could have perhaps done better with his attempts to keep out the third goal, but that would be a slightly harsh assessment on a man that saved well to deny Gamiero earlier in the game, despite also having faced heaps of critics this year.
Opposition’s class
Let’s not be mistaken, no team wins three European trophies in three seasons without having something about them, and despite their league failings this year, the Spaniards still have plenty of quality to shout about.
Their second goal will go down as one of the greatest goals in European cup final history, and for the entirety of the second period, they were good enough to force Liverpool into an uncomfortable game which the Reds were not capable of playing effectively given the men at their disposable.
Many will claim that Jurgen Klopp’s side had more quality – hence their pre-match favourites tag – but conceding so soon after the break gave Sevilla the right to play the second half how they wanted to, rather than force them into chasing the game, and the La Liga outfit had the experience and guile which Liverpool lacked when they threw away their lead so needlessly.
Poor refereeing
Blaming officials after such a big loss seems bitter, but even the most avid of Sevilla fans would’ve had little to complain about had a number of decisions gone in the way of the Reds.
With the scores goalless, Roberto Firmino was denied what seemed like a certain penalty after Daniel Carrico used his hand to halt the ball with the Brazilian goalbound, then soon after, Sturridge’s through ball to the the same player was blocked by Gregorz Krychowiak’s hand. Both illegal interceptions halted great goalscoring opportunities, so Liverpool have every right to feel aggrieved at not being awarded a spot kick for either as a two or three goal lead at half-time would’ve surely been too much for the Spaniards to come back from.
Luck
In football, bad fortune can make a great team average, and good fortune can make an average team great, and Liverpool certainly seemed to be on the end of the former last night. It’s a strange thought, really – given the amount of money that’s pumped into the game – much of what happens on the pitch, and decides games of such importance is down to luck.
Sceptics – including myself – will of course argue that teams create their own luck, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept that 99 times out of 100, the unlucky bounce that teed up Coke for Sevilla’s killer third would’ve scurried away to a red shirt, the sidelines, or a Sevilla player in a much less threatening position. It is just unfortunate that on this occasion, the ball bounced perfectly to the threatening Spaniard to dispatch past Mignolet.
For all the hours spent on the training ground, much in football is decided on making the most of those slices of luck and unexpected opportunities, and Sevilla did that more than Liverpool last night. Not always is there someone to blame for a game turning out that way; sometimes it’s just not your day.
Conclusion
So what cost Klopp’s men overall? All five factors had a say in his side’s eventual downfall, and it’s hard to pin point any one failing that was the difference between winning and losing on Wednesday night.
The addition of fully-fit Henderson and Origi would’ve certainly seen the Reds fare better when pressuring the ball, and on another day, Liverpool would’ve been out of sight by that point had a different referee been in charge.
It is down to the team to ensure that those moments don’t prove costly however; Jose Mourinho spent much of this season blaming the men in the middle for Chelsea’s failings, when in truth, they had enough quality among their ranks in Hazard, Fabregas, Costa and co to ensure that those iffy refereeing moments shouldn’t have proved as decisive as they were on such a regular occurrence.
In a way, it was similar for Liverpool last night; as painful as it would’ve been for Red fans to see their side lose – when on another day the game would’ve been dead and buried by half-time – defensive failings brought trouble onto Klopp’s men when it seemed like they weren’t going to get a helping hand from the referee or elsewhere. In between the penalty appeals and disallowed goals, there was more than one opportunities for Liverpool to double or even triple the lead had players’ movements and decision-making been slightly better.
At the end of the day, it’s that which decides football matches, and when you’re playing in one as big as a European Cup final, it’s important that you get it right, leave everything on the field, and have no regrets about how the ninety minutes went. It would be incredibly naive to expect favours from the referee or opposition in a game of such magnitude – and the players perhaps were dealt the harsh reality of that last night – but unfortunately on this occasion, there remains too many issues for the Reds to reflect on in the coming days and weeks, and many fans will now be left thinking what would’ve been had one or two things gone differently on the day.
It is not a case of Liverpool having been completely robbed, after all. Decisions went against Klopp and co – yes – but no man really excelled in a red shirt and there was certainly plenty of room for improvement against a Sevilla side that weren’t really much better.
Credit to the Spaniards, though; they weren’t great, no, but produced in the important moments in which Liverpool came up short in, and they played a smart game despite being outplayed for large spells in the first half.
Klopp and his men will be back, I’m sure of it, for they have produced on the big occasion enough in recent weeks to suggest his side will be a force to reckon with next season, but it is for that reason – knowing that it was meant to be the Reds’ night – why Wednesday’s defeat will still hurt this Liverpool fan for a few more days and weeks to come.
The thrashings of Chelsea and Man City, then comebacks against Dortmund and Villarreal were great, but they count for nothing if we don’t turn up when it matters.
I just hope next time, we do.
