Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool’s first Champions League final in over a decade could be the start of something very special under Jurgen Klopp.
The former Reds captain watched on from the BT Sport studio on Wednesday as his beloved Liverpool set up a European final with Real Madrid by narrowly edging past Roma.
Despite suffering a 4-2 defeat in the Italian capital – with Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum getting the two goals for the visitors – Klopp’s men marched towards a dramatic 7-6 aggregate victory to book their place in the final on May 19 in Kiev.
Jurgen Klopp has led Liverpool to their first Champions League final since 2007
‘I’m happy for them,’ Gerrard said on BT Sport. ‘You see the emotion on James Milner’s face there, he’s been immense. You see the celebrations in the crowd and I know what it means. I know the following this club has got.’
Gerrard, of course, is no stranger to a European final. Winning the UEFA Cup (in 2001) and the Champions League in that stupendous comeback victory against AC Milan in 2005, he knows all too well how important Wednesday night was his the club.
However, his affiliation with Anfield is now on more of a coaching level than as the on-field general he once was. And so the 37-year-old is left to celebrate with his former team-mates from afar.
Steven Gerrard praised Klopp after Wednesday’s semi-final second leg against Roma
‘These fans just want this club to compete and they want to be proud of their team. This manager has got them flying, if they go one step further this could be the start of something special under this manager.’
It was almost a nightmare evening in Rome for Liverpool though, with late goals from their hosts – both coming from Radja Nainggolan – setting up a nail-biting finish.
Klopp was a frantic figure on the touchline. Up and down he marched, and for good reason. This was a chance to propel his side back to their former glory and also go one step further than he did with Borussia Dortmund.
Aside from an Europa League runners-up medal in 2016, Liverpool have struggled to make their mark in Europe on any front since that Champions League final defeat in 2007.
And that is why this victory was so precious to them, their travelling fans, and more so to the former prodigal son, Gerrard himself.
‘I think they’re on the verge of something really, really good,’ he concluded.
Gerrard believes Liverpool could be on the verge of a special period under the German boss
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