Speed and intensity was of the essence as Liverpool came from three goals down to reach the Champions League final on Tuesday, so much so that the club are reported to have brought the ball boys into the game plan.
The Reds were unfortunate to be on the end of a three-goal deficit heading into the second leg with Barcelona at Anfield, but doubles from Divock Origi and Georginio Wijnaldum marked a plan executed to perfection by Jurgen Klopp's side.
They seemed to have thought of everything as they attempted to complete an unlikely comeback, and in an effort to maximise their time on the ball, the Mail report that ball boys were briefed via a video presentation on how to get the ball back into play quicker.
Coaching came from academy mentor Carl Lancaster, who showed them footage of the match against Porto - which Liverpool won 2-0 - and gave them pointers on how to speed up the turnover.
Eagle-eyed fans may have spotted the plan coming into action for the winning goal, with a byline ball boy swiftly providing Trent Alexander-Arnold with a replacement ball to save a few seconds on a corner kick.
SIMPLY GENIUS 勞
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 7, 2019
Trent Alexander-Arnold spots Barcelona napping and Divock Origi makes no mistake!!!
4-0 Liverpool
Wow. pic.twitter.com/K05v1jgazZ
As a result, the full-back was able to take the kick early, catching Barcelona completely off-guard, and allowing Origi to sweep in the winning goal - sparking jubilant scenes all around the stadium.
The Reds will have no such advantage when they travel to Madrid to face Tottenham in the final, but will nonetheless fancy their chances at a sixth European cup, given that they have already beaten Mauricio Pochettino's men twice this season.
Spurs, however, don't look in bad shape themselves. They came back from a deficit of their own to conquer Ajax, advancing on away goals having been behind by three goals to nil on aggregate in Amsterdam.
Source : 90min