Jurgen Klopp Told Liverpool Players to 'Show F--king Balls,' Says Dejan Lovren

Jurgen Klopp told his Liverpool players to "show f--king balls" in his pre-match speech before the Reds beat Barcelona 4-0 on Tuesday, according to Dejan Lovren. 

The defender said Liverpool's sensational UEFA Champions League comeback at Anfield, in which they overturned a 3-0 loss they'd suffered at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their semi-final, was inspired by the manager.

He told LFCTV (h/t Goal's Tom Storer):

"Congratulations to Klopp. Before the game he did an amazing speech.

"It was something brilliant, and I think he lifted us so high. It was just 'Believe! Put it in your mind that we can do it.' It was something that we've never heard before.

"He said 'Boys, believe. One or two goals, even if we don't score in the first 15, 20 minutes, believe in the 65th, 66th, 67th minute that we can score, and then with Anfield behind us, trust me guys, we can do it. We did it once against Dortmund, we can do it tonight. Just show f--king balls tonight.' And we did it!"

Having failed to grab an away goal in Barcelona, the Reds needed to score four goals on Tuesday without reply and did just that.

Goals from Divock Origi book-ended the contest either side of a brace from substitute Georginio Wijnaldum, who came on at half-time.

Origi bagged a much-needed early goal to get the hosts off to an ideal start, and it quickly became clear there would only be one winner after the Dutchman's arrival onto the scene.

After Wijnaldum found the net in the 54th and 56th minutes, Origi sealed the win with 11 minutes of normal time remaining (U.S. and UK only, respectively):

Football writer Joel Rabinowitz hailed the Belgian for his impact as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold, who assisted the second and last goals:

To make the Reds' feat all the more impressive, they did it without Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino, who were both unavailable.

The Times' Oliver Kay and the New York Times' Rory Smith could scarcely believe what they witnessed:

After the disappointment of losing last season's Champions League final to Real Madrid, Liverpool have become even stronger in this campaign.

They've amassed 94 points in the Premier League—19 more than last season with a match remaining—and they'll be favourites for the final whether they face Ajax or Tottenham Hotspur.

Their mental fortitude was a marked contrast from Barcelona's fragility as the Catalan giants collapsed in the second half, and the Reds' performance was yet another reminder they've returned to elite status in European football.