Salah's redemption, sexiest pitch invader... 5 things learned from UCL final

In a tight and tense final, Liverpool squeezed past Spurs 2-0 in the Champions League final. The Reds avenged last year’s final defeat to Real Madrid and are now six-time Champions of Europe. What did we learn?

1. Salah and Origi, redemption has two faces

Mohamed Salah was mesmeric in 2017/18, scoring 44 goals in all competitions including a record 32 in the Premier League. He was the man and headed into a Champions League final where he would take on Real Madrid. Then a crude tackle from Sergio Ramos ended his night through injury (and Liverpool were subsequently defeated), he was heartbroken.

Divock Origi was a striker who was considered by pretty much everyone to be a joke. He had bombed out of Liverpool (despite scoring in a Europa League semi-final win), been underwhelming on loan in the Bundesliga, missed out on Belgium’s 2018 World Cup squad and no one took him seriously. He was so out-of-favour Liverpool couldn’t find someone to buy him.

Then the 2019 Champions League final came along, and Salah stepped up to rattle home a second minute spot-kick and give Liverpool the lead. A huge moment after last year’s agony. Then Liverpool were jittery, relying on the defence, one mistake away from disaster. Then with three minutes to go, up stepped sub Origi to thump in a beautifully crisp finish (to go with his miraculous brace against Barcelona in the semi-final) to put the result beyond doubt and seal his place in Liverpool folklore.

Redemption has two faces: one Egyptian, one Belgian. All you can do is be happy for them.

2. Consistency from Skomina

The final could hardly have got off to a more controversial start, with Skomina’s decision to award a penalty for handball certainly dividing the footballing realm.

The decision was checked by VAR, who were happy to go along with the Slovenian’s judgment without the need for a touchline check.

Interestingly, it was Skomina who was on duty at the Parc des Princes in the second round and awarded a similar penalty for Manchester United , with Marcus Rashford’s conversion ultimately knocking out the French champions.

Often, the biggest issue that has fans up in arms about referees is a lack of consistency.

Right or wrong - and by the game’s laws, Skomina is correct with his assertion - you can’t point that particular finger at Saturday's man in the middle.

3. Kane and Firmino: Nah

Both centre-forwards came to the final as fitness doubts. Neither man was ready to start (even if they were technically fit enough). They both offered nothing to their side. Roberto Firmino is useless without his frenetic energy, movement and interplay which was understandably all missing tonight. And Harry Kane was clearly just on the field in case Spurs could conjure a chance from 10-20 yards for him.

Watching these two contribute absolutely nothing was immensely frustrating and played a huge part in the final being such a dud. To his credit, Jurgen Klopp saw this and removed Firmino for Origi before the hour mark whilst Pochettino took off his two best performers and left Kane on. In the end, the way these two managers treated their star strikers both led to this terrible final and then also showed us why only one of these two sides actually deserved to win the Champions League.

4. Alisson proves his worth (again)

It was never going to be anything like Loris Karius' nightmare 12 months ago because, quite frankly, Alisson is 1000 per cent better than the German - that's an approximate measurement of course, but is definitely spot on.

But the Premier League's golden glove winner, the man the Reds paid £67million for, was faultless here.

What he had to do he did well, making even a couple of difficult saves look routine. His positioning and footwork was first class throughout and he never looked like being beaten, while he commanded his area with a quiet authority throughout.

In truth, he may well have been man of the match, one of very few to play at something like their best.

5. The sexiest advertisement

Probably one of the biggest talking points of the Champions League final.

Let's be honest, Champions League final of 2019 won't live all that long in the memory. A penalty decision after 22 seconds from which Liverpool took an early lead, and then pretty much nothing, for the remaining 88 minutes or so except for Origi's goal.

Which is exactly why we're here, writing a story about the pitch invader who briefly interrupted the game midway through the half.

Reaching the halfway line before being escorted away by a steward, the woman wore a black leotard with the words 'Vitaly Uncensored' across the front.

The woman is believed to be Kinsey Wolanski - the girlfriend of the Youtube prankster Vitaly Zdorovetskiy, who invaded the 2014 World Cup Final and is subsequently banned from attended major sporting events.

'Vitaly Uncensored' are described as an adult website which claims to undertake 'wild pranks' of a sexual nature with 'no rules'.