Tottenham 0 Liverpool 2: goals, reactions and back page headlines

Uefa Champions League final Tottenham Hotspur 0 Liverpool 2

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on his players after the 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the Champions League final on Saturday.

The Anfield side did not play their best against their Premier League rivals in Madrid but a second-minute penalty by Mohamed Salah and a late strike by Divock Origi was enough to secure the win.

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It’s the first major trophy for Liverpool since 2015, and sixth European cup, while for Klopp he finally broke his streak of losing six finals in a row. Last season the Reds were beaten by Real Madrid.

Speaking after the match the German manager said: “Did you ever see a team like this, fighting with no fuel in the tank? I am so happy for the boys, all these people and my family.

“They suffer for me, they deserve it more than anybody. It was an intense season with the most beautiful finish I ever could have imagined.”

He added: “We’ll celebrate together, we’ll have a sensational night. I feel mostly relief, relief for my family. The last six times we flew on holiday with only a silver medal it didn’t feel too cool.

“Tonight was a big challenge for both teams to deal with the three weeks with no game. The final is about the result and tonight the boys showed the resilience we needed. I don’t want to explain why we won it, I only want to enjoy that we won it.”

Pochettino: it’s a shame

For Tottenham their trophy drought continues but manager Mauricio Pochettino was proud of his team’s effort in Madrid.

He said: “We were unlucky. We were fighting, and we played so well in the second half. To start 1-0 down from the start was tough; we changed our plans. We can be optimistic. That [penalty] was the circumstance we cannot manage or prepare for.

“You can never believe you will be 1-0 down after a minute. Mentally it was very tough - it’s about learning and experience, like Liverpool were in this position last year [when they lost to Real Madrid].

“I am so pleased to manage this group of players, but congratulations to Liverpool. We’re all very disappointed, but I feel so proud of my players. Finals are about winning, not about playing well - it’s not tactics.

“The standards are so high, it wasn’t enough today. It’s a shame.”

Reactions to Liverpool’s victory

Jordan Henderson, Liverpool captain: “Without this manager [Jurgen Klopp] this is impossible. You go through tough times in a season, but what he has done since coming in is unbelievable. There’s such a togetherness, he has created a special dressing room - all the praise goes to the manager. I’m so proud to be a part of this football club and to cap it with this is so special to me.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool right-back: “I am just a normal lad from Liverpool whose dream has just come true. It is hard to put into words. The season we have had, we deserved it more than any other team. We have done something special, we dominated the game. We will not look back and think it was a sluggish game, we will see we are European champions.”

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool striker and goalscorer: “Everyone is happy now. I am glad to play the second final in a row and play 90 minutes finally. Everyone did his best today - no great individual performances today, all the team was unbelievable. I have sacrificed a lot for my career, to come from a village to go to Cairo, and to be an Egyptian at this level is unbelievable for me.”

Today’s front and back page headlines