Liverpool vs. Villarreal: Jurgen Klopp Reacts to Europa League Semi-Final Win

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp sparked a war of words with Villarreal counterpart Marcelino after the Reds beat the Yellow Submarine at Anfield on Thursday night to reach the UEFA Europa League final.

Speaking after Liverpool won 3-0 in the second leg and 3-1 on aggregate, Klopp answered Marcelino's critique of his enthusiastic touchline celebrations. Andy Kelly of the Liverpool Echo detailed the testy exchange:

Klopp was never likely to hold back after a Bruno Soriano own goal and strikes from Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana overturned the 1-0 first-leg deficit.

Klopp reserved special praise for Sturridge, the oft-injured striker he'd opted against playing in the first leg, per David Prentice of the Liverpool Echo.

"Great game. Great game. You all see now when Daniel Sturridge is fit he is an unbelievable, unbelievable striker," Klopp said. "But even he needs players to play with. I know about his quality. I knew before I came here, now I know better. Great player."

But it was such an emphatic overall team performance that it initially left Liverpool's usually verbose gaffer momentarily lost for words, according to the Press Association's Carl Markham:

Once inspiration came, Klopp was content to reflect on how a combination of fortune and delivering when it matters has put his team on the brink of securing the trophy, per Kelly:

Villarreal's apparent crumble in the face of a thunderous atmosphere at Anfield also helped Liverpool, and Klopp encouraged the club's fans to replicate the atmosphere when Liverpool meet Sevilla in the final in Basel, Switzerland, on May 18, per BT Sport Football:

Yet there are two things Klopp doesn't want from the fans. The first is to hear he's receiving the full credit for Liverpool's success:

On a more serious note, Klopp expressed his displeasure at some things he saw in the crowd—things he'd rather not see again—per Markham:

Whether he wants to take full credit or not, Klopp has earned praise for the way he's guided Liverpool through this tournament. Despite making no changes to the playing squad, along with a persistent run of injuries, the German has his team playing a highly intense, press-based brand of football that's upset more than one fancied side in Europe.

Sevilla, winners of the last two tournaments, are experienced and resourceful enough to stay strong in the final. But Klopp has built a surge of momentum that looks destined to end in silverware for the Merseyside club.