Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur to clinch 6th Champions League title

Liverpool clinched the Champions League title for the 6th time in Madrid on Saturday night to deny Spurs a title in their first finals after a Mohamed Salah's penalty, awarded after 24 seconds, and a late Divock Origi strike sank Spurs.

A year after their defeat to Real Madrid, Jurgen Klopp’s men won their sixth European Cup.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men improved in the second period, and had chances to equalise but could not pull off another remarkable comeback, with Origi - who scored the final goal for the Reds in their semi-final win over Barcelona - sealing the win for Liverpool with a laser-like strike in the 87th minute.

In truth, after one of the most gripping seasons in recent history, the showpiece in club football proved an anti-climax. But Liverpool and Klopp will care little, the German celebrating his first trophy as Reds manager. 

For Spurs and Pochettino, their long wait for a trophy continues. Whether the Argentine will be around at the start of next season remains to be seen. 

After the heartache of missing out on the Premier League with a record 97 points, it is only right this fantastic, free-flowing, fluid, ruthless Reds team end the season with the biggest trophy of them all. 

After six successive cup final defeats, the German finally gets his hand on some much needed silverware. Silverware, he hopes, will only be the start of something truly special with this brilliant group of talented, young and hungry players. 

MAN OF THE MATCH - Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool)

Liverpool's player of the season, arguably Europe's best of the season - and he was the standout player in a contest of poor quality. The man mountain was first to every header, while his rapid pace and reading of the game helped thwart Spurs' misfiring front-line.

KEY STATS

• Liverpool (35.4%) have become the first side to win the Champions League final despite having less possession than the opposition since Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich in 2010, also in Madrid.
• The Reds have won their sixth Champions League/European Cup trophy – twice as many as any other English team has won (Man Utd, 3).
• Jurgen Klopp is the fourth Liverpool manager to win the Champions League/European Cup after Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Rafa Benitez.
• Divock Origi is only the second Belgium player to score in a Champions League/European Cup final after Yannick Carrasco for Atletico vs Real Madrid in 2016; Origi has scored with all three of his shots in the Champions League this season.

• Mohamed Salah is the fifth different African player to score in a Champions League/European Cup final after Rabah Madjer, Samuel Eto'o, Didier Drogba and Sadio Mane.
• Salah’s opener for Liverpool is the second fastest goal in a Champions League final, only behind Paolo Maldni (00:50) for AC Milan versus Liverpool in 2005.