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Champions League final: 3 talking points from Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur title clash

Divock Origi made a fine finish from his left foot with a textbook goal across the keeper and into the far corner in the 87th minute, putting the final nail in Spurs’ coffin.

Champions League final: 3 talking points from Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur title clash

Liverpool after winning UEFA Champions League 2019 final against Tottenham Hotspur. (Photo: Twitter/ @ChampionsLeague)

Liverpool outplayed Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League final at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on Saturday, courtesy Mohamed Salah (2′) and Divock Origi (87′) for scoring a goal each. This win led the Reds to claim the European crown for the sixth time in their history. Though the final was not as exciting as expected, the Reds won’t mind taking the trophy home.

Here are the three talking points from the game.

The controversial handball

Within the 30 seconds of the start of the game, Moussa Sissoko had been penalised for a handball. Though it was a tough call for the referee, he went on to give the decision against Spurs, and eventually, Liverpool were awarded a penalty.

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Liverpool gave its ace striker Mohamed Salah to draw them the lead and Salah did exactly what he was asked for. In the blink of an eye, Salah registered the second-fastest goal in the Champions League final, being only behind Paolo Maldini (50 seconds) for AC Milan versus Liverpool in 2005.

The goal by the Reds’ star Mohamed Salah turned out to be a match-defining factor as the Whites could never really bounce back in the game after this wreck.

The gamble of playing Harry Kane did not pay off

Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to start Harry Kane after nearly two months out did not pay off, that too against a semi-final hat-trick hero Lucas Moura. Moura was in great touch before the final as he helped the Spurs snatch the semi-final match away from Barcelona.

Kane, on the other hand, battled hard in the final to get the ball and consequently, the Whites failed to put on a tough fight.

Divock Origi finishing off in style

Divock Origi made a fine finish from his left foot with a textbook goal across the keeper and into the far corner in the 87th minute, putting the final nail in Spurs’ coffin. With his selflessness and self-awareness, the 24-year-old Belgian national team forward yet again proved his mettle on a mega platform.

Origi has played around 675 minutes overall this season for the Reds and his contribution has been fantabulous. Be it his strike or assist for a goal, the Liverpool forward ticked all the boxes.

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