Klopp: Liverpool were like wolves that hadn't eaten in eight weeks vs Barca

Liverpool were like a pack of food-deprived wolves in their Champions League second leg semi-final tie against Barcelona, according to Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds beat the Spanish champions 4-0 at Anfield on May 5, thanks to braces from Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum, completing one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of the competition.

Barca won the first leg 3-0 at Camp Nou and were favourites to reach the final in Madrid, but nothing went to plan for Ernesto Valverde's men on Merseyside.

Liverpool were relentless after Origi broke the deadlock seven minutes in, dominating possession while keeping the visitors pinned in their own half with their high-pressing tactics.

Klopp's men ultimately progressed 4-3 on aggregate and they will have the chance to avenge their defeat in last year's final against Real Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano this Saturday.

Ahead of the titanic all-English encounter with Tottenham, the 51-year-old head coach has admitted his men performed like wild animals against Barca, creating their own luck over the course of the 90 minutes at Anfield.

"It was not about progress, It was all about winning the second leg," Klopp told Sport1. "We know, we played a good game in Barcelona, ​​clearly lost, and at home, we had to play a very good game and win. 

"Then, as the game progressed, we'd see if we can get a scoreline that will give us the chance to completely knock over the buck just before the end. 

"It turned out that we were full of joyful anticipation of the game. We were up for it - even though it was the third game in six days. 

"Then it helped that it was Barcelona in the Champions League - you do not have to think about anything else, because the self-motivation of the players is, of course, huge. What happened then is football and without luck, it wouldn't have been possible. 

"We needed a good goalkeeper, we needed a sensational defence and we needed a lot of courage to go through as we did. 

"When I saw how we started, I had the impression that we had wolves on the field who had not gotten anything [to eat] for eight weeks. They really did go like madmen."

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Liverpool were also arguably the better side at Camp Nou but they fell victim to a Lionel Messi masterclass, as the Argentine grabbed two goals to put Barca in a healthy position in the tie on May 1.

Klopp revealed that his team learned their opponents were over-reliant on Messi after the away fixture, which made their task in the second leg much clearer.

The Reds stifled the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on home turf and Klopp insists that was the key to their success on the night.

Klopp added: "Indeed, after the first leg, when we lost 3-0, we left the game with a better feeling than when we went into the game. 

"We did not know exactly what would happen in Barcelona. We had never played there before. It is a myth - legitimately - because they are extremely strong and Messi is impossible to defend against. 

"After the game, we knew that with Messi it is difficult. Otherwise, everything else is controllable for us. The more often we had that on the pitch, the bigger the chance that we would win the second leg."