Liverpool XI from comeback win over Dortmund shows scale of Jurgen Klopp's improvements

If there was a victory that underlined the true value of Jurgen Klopp taking over at Liverpool, their comeback victory against Borussia Dortmund in April 2016 with a squad overflowing with misfits is a fine place to begin.

Klopp had barely got through his first eight months at Liverpool before the inevitable luck of the draw pitted him against his former club, after they had parted ways in 2014-15, despite winning two Bundesliga titles and reaching a Champions League final. But as it turned out, it would prove to be a huge test of just how far the German and his new club had come since their mutual uncoupling.

Neither club were in a great position in 2015-16 and so it was perhaps ideal that they met in the Europa League quarter-finals. After securing a favourable 1-1 draw at Signal Iduna Park, the Reds would have felt confident going into the second leg. But Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored inside the first 10 minutes at Anfield to put their progress under serious question.

On the 27th anniversary of the Hillsbrought disaster that took the lives of 97 people, Liverpool’s players would have been desperate to provide a fitting tribute with a win, and this contest was certainly not lacking in its attempts to make the occasion even more memorable.

The German giants were rampant in the opening stages and missed several chances to extend their 3-1 aggregate lead. Perhaps it was those missed opportunities that opened up the possibility it could be Liverpool’s night, especially when Divock Origi give them a glimmer of hope just after the interval.

Even when Marco Reus made it 3-1 on the night, requiring the Merseysiders to find three goals in 25 minutes to advance to the semi-finals, there was