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Liverpool's road to the Champions League final

Sports Mole takes a closer look at Liverpool's route to the 2022 Champions League final.

Liverpool will be looking to win a seventh European Cup when they take on Real Madrid in the final of the competition on Saturday night.

The Reds last won the Champions League in 2019, beating Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to lift the trophy in Madrid.

Real Madrid are one of just two teams to win the European Cup on more occasions than Liverpool, with Los Blancos the most successful side in the history of the competition with 13 trophies, while AC Milan have triumphed in the tournament on seven occasions.

Los Blancos beat Liverpool 3-1 in the 2018 final, meanwhile, so Jurgen Klopp's side will be out for revenge in what is shaping up to be a fascinating battle in Paris.

Here, Sports Mole has taken a look at Liverpool's route to the final, which saw them top Group B in sensational fashion before overcoming Inter Milan, Benfica and Villarreal in the knockout rounds.


Group stage (Top of Group B)

Jurgen Klopp and Jordan Henderson celebrating Liverpool's Champions League win over Inter Milan on February 16, 2022.© Reuters

Liverpool hardly needed to break a sweat in the group stage of this season's competition, which is even more impressive considering the strength of their opposition, having been drawn in Group B alongside AC Milan, Porto and Atletico Madrid.

The Reds won all six of their matches, scoring 17 times and conceding six, which allowed them to finish 11 points clear of second-placed Atletico during a stunning group-stage performance.

Liverpool started their Group B campaign with a 3-2 success over AC Milan before putting five goals past Porto in Portugal two weeks later; the Merseyside giants then made it a double over Atletico before recording a 2-0 victory over Porto at Anfield towards the end of November.

Klopp's team finished their group stage in style, meanwhile, by winning 2-1 at AC Milan on December 7, with Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi on the scoresheet at San Siro.


Round of 16 (vs. Inter Milan)

Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Inter Milan in February 2022© Reuters

Liverpool gave themselves a huge advantage ahead of the second leg of their last-16 clash with Inter at Anfield, having recorded a 2-0 victory at San Siro in the first leg on February 16.

Roberto Firmino and Salah scored late in Milan to secure a two-goal advantage; the Reds actually lost the second leg 1-0 courtesy of an effort from Lautaro Martinez, but they managed to hold on in the latter stages to secure a 2-1 aggregate victory, which allowed them to advance to the quarter-finals.


Quarter-finals (vs. Benfica)

Roberto Firmino celebrates scoring for Liverpool against Benfica in the Champions League on April 13, 2022© Reuters

Not too many predicted that Benfica would cause many problems in the final eight, and it turned out to be a comfortable quarter-final for Liverpool despite an impressive second-leg display from their opponents.

Again, the Reds gave themselves a huge advantage in the first leg, winning 3-1 in Portugal, with Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz on the scoresheet, while Darwin Nunez netted for the home side.

A pulsating second leg saw the two teams play out a 3-3 draw, with Benfica scoring twice in the final 17 minutes, but Liverpool were never in any real danger of being eliminated, and they ultimately progressed to the quarter-finals courtesy of a 6-4 aggregate success.


Semi-finals (vs. Villarreal)

Liverpool players celebrate Fabinho's goal against Villarreal in the Champions League on May 3, 2022© Reuters

Villarreal shocked Bayern Munich to reach the final four, but the Yellow Submarine were always up against it heading into the second leg, having lost 2-0 at Anfield in the first leg at the end of April.

An own goal from Pervis Estupinan and a 55th-minute effort from Mane meant that Klopp's side had a healthy advantage to take to Spain for the return fixture.

Villarreal cancelled out Liverpool's lead with two goals in the opening 41 minutes of the second leg, but a brilliant second-half performance from the English giants saw them score three times without reply, progressing to the final of the competition courtesy of a 5-2 aggregate success.


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Who will win Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid?

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Real Madrid
43.7%
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38296399267393
2Liverpool38288294266892
3Chelsea382111676334374
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5Arsenal382231361481369
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd381610125757058
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RBurnley38714173453-1935
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