Tottenham Hotspurs’ first trip to a Champions League final was not exactly one for the ages.
Liverpool was awarded a penalty in the first 30 seconds and Mohamed Salah converted to give the Reds a lead it would not relinquish. Divock Origi clinched the win with a goal in the 87th minute, because all the big Belgian did was score big goals this season as Liverpool won 2-0.
Well, that didn’t take long. Awarded a penalty in the opening 25 seconds, a Mo Salah PK gave Liverpool an early 1-0 lead over Tottenham in the second minute of the Champions League final on Saturday in Madrid.
After a disaster-filled Champions League final against Real Madrid a year ago, the Reds had a dream start when Moussa Sissoko’s raised arm caught a cross from Sadio Mané. Center ref Damir Skomina of Slovenia immediately pointed to the spot and the call was confirmed by the VAR.
Loris Karius doesn’t need defending. He's a professional athlete. He’s impossibly good-looking; his girlfriend even more so. He makes over $1.5 million annually. He plays for one of Turkey’s biggest, most successful clubs.
Harry Kane hasn’t played since suffering an ankle ligament injury on Apr. 1 during the first leg of Tottenham’s UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Manchester City. However, the latest Harry Kane injury update is a massive lift for Spurs supporters ahead of Saturday’s UCL final against Liverpool in Madrid.
It’s here: the 64th edition of the European Cup (and the 27th since it was rebranded the Champions League). It’s an all-English affair pitting Liverpool, a five-time winner, against Tottenham, making a first-ever final appearance. Here’s what you need to know about the match in Madrid, including Champions League final TV USA information, streaming options, team previews, injuries and predicted starting lineups.
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool FC
You’re one of the lucky few season-ticket holders who managed to score a limited number of tickets to the biggest match in your club’s history. You’ve got some disposable income, but it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg to travel to the final.
What do you do?
It’s been an historic season for the English Premier League.
After an exhilarating title race won by Manchester City just ahead of Liverpool, the league will make up all four participants in the two major European finals: the Champions League and Europa League.
Liverpool faces Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1 after both teams pulled off insane comebacks in the semifinals against Barcelona and Ajax, respectively. The Europa League final is between Arsenal and Chelsea on May 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
As the Premier League season wound down, polls such as this indicated that neutrals preferred to see Liverpool win the title. Some pundits claimed that this tendency was owing to sympathy that Liverpool hadn't won the title in 29 years, or perhaps to an affinity for Liverpool’s playing style or their affable manager Jurgen Klopp.
There is another explanation that has received no attention whatsoever, namely that spectators judge Liverpool’s record to actually be superior to Manchester City’s.