How Luiz Diaz helped Liverpool teammates and blew Spanish media away in stunning display

Liverpool’s recruitment team would have given themselves another big pat on the back on Tuesday night as their latest marquee recruit Luis Diaz played a crucial role in helping the Reds secure their third Champions League final appearance in five years.

Jurgen Klopp’s men headed into the half-time break at Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday night shook up after surrendering their 2-0 advantage from the first leg. However Diaz, who replaced Diogo Jota at the break, was instrumental in inspiring the Reds to another Champions League comeback.

The £50million January signing scored the crucial equaliser as part of a manic 12 second-half minutes when the Reds found the back of the net three times, however his influence in the game went way beyond just his goal.

Almost instantly, he arrived like a tornado and caused havoc down Villarreal’s right side. Inside 15 minutes he’d attempted more shots than any other Liverpool player and had managed more touches than Jota did in the whole of the first period. His explosive entrance sparked his Liverpool teammates into life, and left-back Andy Robertson spoke about the ‘big difference’ he made to the game in his post-match press conference.

“He’s a special, special player”, said the Scottish international. “The talent he has, and the will to win and everything, he just fits us perfectly. He came on and made a big difference, he played on the left and started pushing them back, taking the ball and dribbling, it was a really good half from him.”

Diaz's display also blew away large parts of the Spanish media. Jordi Arches of Mundo Deportivo stated that the Liverpool attacker “Ended the dream, stepping onto the pitch and changing everything” while Feargal Brennan from Football Espana