Liverpool vs. Borussia Dortmund: Winners and Losers from Europa League
Dejan Lovren headed in a dramatic winner as Liverpool advanced to the UEFA Europa League semi-finals following a wild 4-3 win over Borussia Dortmund on Thursday night at Anfield.
The hosts trailed twice by two goals in this quarter-final second leg but mounted a furious comeback over the final 25 minutes to book a place in the final four. At 3-1 down, Liverpool found renewed hope with Philippe Coutinho's 66th-minute strike before Mamadou Sakho equalized 12 minutes from time.
Then, in the first minute of stoppage time, Lovren headed in a James Milner cross to give Liverpool a 5-4 aggregate victory and send Anfield into ecstasy.
Dortmund had built a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes after strikes from Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Divock Origi pulled one back for Liverpool in the 48th minute, but Marco Reus restored the visitors' two-goal advantage nine minutes later.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Football
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This was one of those nights that make you happy to be a fan of football. Not just a supporter of a specific club but an admirer of the game itself. Seven goals. A huge comeback. Loads of drama. And, of course, a late winner.
What more could you want?
If you're a Dortmund fan, you'd ask for a different result, of course. But for any neutral (and obviously Liverpool's faithful), this was a classic for the ages. For that fact, football is the winner here after a mesmerizing display of attacking football from both sides.
"This is European football at its best," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport (h/t BBC Sport). "It's hard to believe. Congratulations to all of the lads."
Winner: Jurgen Klopp
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The legend of Jurgen Klopp grows ever greater.
At 2-0 down in the 10th minute, Liverpool appeared buried. At 3-1 down early in the second half, a comeback seemed unlikely, if not impossible. But come back Liverpool did, and now Klopp has a signature moment for his promising Anfield reign.
For supporters, it was impossible not to draw parallels to that magical 2005 night in Istanbul. The stakes were higher then, what with it being a Champions League final, but the drama was no less compelling for this Europa League quarter-final.
Coming as it did against his former side, Klopp will have extra reason to celebrate this momentous fightback. Now, it's straight back to the tactics room as he plans for the semi-finals and beyond.
Loser: The Quality of Liverpool's Corners
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On a night like this, it's almost unfair to label anyone a loser. Both defenses had rough nights, yes, but the thrilling scenes throughout the match, and especially in stoppage time, overshadowed much of that. Yet if we were to pick one loser from the bunch, it has to be the quality of Liverpool's corners.
True, the home side's third goal did result from a corner, but in all fairness, Philippe Coutinho's delivery was poor and should have been cleared easily by Dortmund at the near post. It was only a mistake that allowed the ball to reach Mamadou Sakho, who turned it into the net.
And that was par for the course on this night for Liverpool. The hosts took 11 corners (h/t UEFA.com), and the vast majority of those failed to clear the first man (we're looking at you, James Milner).
It didn't cost Liverpool in the end, but in all honesty, they really should have done better.
Winner: Divock Origi
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Divock Origi started again at centre-forward for Liverpool, and just like he did in the first leg, the Belgian repaid his manager's faith with a goal.
With Liverpool trailing 2-0 early in the second half, the 20-year-old accepted a pass from Emre Can and, keeping his cool, slotted past Roman Weidenfeller to give the home side hope. It was an impressive finish that hinted at Origi's potential and highlighted his impressive composure in the final third.
With four goals in his last three appearances, Origi is in fine scoring form. And at just 20 years old, he surely has a bright future in store.
Winner: Mats Hummels
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Several Dortmund players deserve mentions for outstanding attacking contributions. But we're singling out Mats Hummels despite the fact that he had a rough time with his primary duties as a defender. Why? We'll get to that momentarily.
First, a few nods for some teammates. Marco Reus set up a goal with a great pass and scored another that appeared at the time to have finished off Liverpool's chances. Meanwhile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also scored and wreaked havoc on Liverpool's back line.
But it's Hummels who garners our recognition here, and the reason is his outrageous pass to set up Reus' second-half goal. Missed it? Check it out here.
Yep, he's a centre-back. Amazing.
"Mats Hummels is wasted in defence," tweeted Stefan Bienkowski. "He'd be the first to tell you that."
"I want to encase that Mats Hummels pass in amber, stare at it behind a museum-thick pane of glass," added James Tyler.
