Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he missed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner against Barcelona in last season’s Champions League semi-final as he turned away to talk to his assistant.
The Liverpool manager says that he didn’t see the corner being taken, only Divock Origi hitting the back of the net, and has since watched the goal a multitude of times.
Alexander-Arnold’s quickly-taken set-piece caught the Barcelona defence off guard, allowing Origi to guide the ball into the back of the net and send his side into the Champions League final.
The goal completed a miraculous comeback for the Reds, who scored four goals without reply at Anfield in the semi-final second-leg after losing 3-0 at Camp Nou in the reverse fixture.
But like many others on and off the pitch, the Liverpool manager missed out on the quickly-taken corner that sparked wild celebrations throughout the stadium.
"Unfortunately, the most incredible moment in the history of the Champions League… I didn’t actually see it," Klopp wrote in a column for The Players’ Tribune .
"Maybe this is a good metaphor for the life of a football manager, I don’t know. But I completely missed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s moment of pure genius.
"I saw the ball go out for a corner. I saw Trent walking over to take it. I saw [Xherdan] Shaqiri following him.
"But then I turned my back because we were preparing to make a substitution. I was talking to my assistant, and… you know, I have goosebumps every time I think about it… I just heard the noise.
"I turned to the pitch and I saw the ball flying into the goal. I turned back to our bench and looked at Ben Woodburn, and he said, ‘What just happened?!' And I said, ‘I have no idea!’
"Anfield was going - boof - absolutely crazy. I could barely hear my assistant, and he was yelling, ‘So… do we still make the substitute?’
"I will never forget him saying that! That will always be with me."
The Reds went on to win the competition for the sixth time in their history, ending a lengthy spell without silverware as they beat Premier League rivals Spurs in Madrid.
Mohamed Salah’s opener from the penalty spot was followed by another late Origi strike, but it was his effort in the previous round that remains fondest in the memory of his manager.
"Can you imagine? Eighteen years as a manager, millions of hours watching this game, and I missed the cheekiest thing that has ever happened on a football pitch.
"Since that night, I have probably watched the video of Divock’s goal 500,000 times. But in person, I only saw the ball hit the net."
