Liverpool analysts had watched how Barcelona players were always distracted when decisions went against them and word was passed down to Carl Lancaster, a coaching mentor at the club's academy, who asked the ball boys to serve their players quickly.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah ended his Premier League goal drought in style by scoring twice as the champions raided the capital again to crush West Ham United 3-1 on Sunday.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp is expecting his toughest test yet in a Merseyside derby when his side face local rivals Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.
Liverpool took a giant step towards their first title since 1990 on Saturday when their 3-0 win at Bournemouth combined with Manchester United's 2-1 victory at Manchester City to leave the champions 14 points adrift of the Premier League leaders.
It promises to be a tense and thrilling finale to the season but Liverpool, who have frittered away a seven-point lead, will need to regain their momentum quickly if they are to push for their first league title since 1990.
Phil Foden struck twice as Manchester City stepped up their bid for a fourth Premier League crown in a row with a ruthless 4-0 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Images from English Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino has left his job as Chelsea manager by mutual consent, the Premier League side announced on Tuesday.
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool fans' joy at reaching the Champions League final has been dampened by the eye-watering costs of travelling to Madrid for the June 1 showdown.
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski scored twice to set his side on course for a 5-0 Champions League thrashing of Swiss side Young Boys on Tuesday as the Catalan giants bounced back from a 2-1 loss at AS Monaco in their opener.
'Porto are a really, really good football team. We have to play at our limit 100 percent'
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
The lack of a winter break in English football took its toll on Liverpool players' fitness levels and played a part in the Merseyside club's poor form since the start of the year, manager Juergen Klopp has said.
"Indian travellers would be aware of recent disturbances in some parts of the United Kingdom. The High Commission of India in London is closely monitoring the situation," reads the message entitled 'Advisory for Indian Citizens Visiting the UK.'
Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp has said his team will be 'on fire' for the Champions League final
The pain of missing out on a first domestic league crown for 29 years will be eased by the knowledge that European glory could be on the horizon for Liverpool
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called an emergency COBRA meeting of senior ministers and police chiefs at 10 Downing Street in London on Monday after a weekend of riots across several cities in the country, which he termed a 'far-right thuggery' that will face the full force of the law.
A round-up of Saturday's matches in the English Premier League.
Liverpool's James Milner's converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time and Sadio Mane added a late second goal to secure a hard-fought 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday.
Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling struck twice as the Premier League champions beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park on Sunday to go top of the table and heap pressure on title rivals Liverpool.
Daniel Sturridge's Liverpool career seemed to be heading for a premature end last season but the striker showed on Tuesday he may yet have an important role after taking his chance during a rare start in the Champions League win over Paris St Germain.
Liverpool's 1-1 draw at Everton could not save manager Brendan Rodgers from the sack.
Five-time European champions Liverpool are in the quarter-finals of this year's competition
Liverpool ripped apart Manchester City with three goals inside the opening 31 minutes as they won their Champions League quarter-final, first leg tie 3-0 on Wednesday.
'That is how it is. How we created the moments was outstanding, how we caused them problems was outstanding, we controlled the game so well'
Imperious Liverpool extended their Premier League home winning streak against Arsenal to six on Saturday with an easy 4-0 victory that lifted them to second in the table.
IMAGES from the Champions League 2nd semi-final first leg match between Barcelona and Liverpool at Nou Camp on Wednesday
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has dismissed claims that it is the perfect time to face Tottenham Hotspur because of injuries to key players and concern over striker Harry Kane's form and freshness.
Liverpool suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, handing manager Juergen Klopp a third home defeat in a row.
Liverpool had been the better side for great swathes of the Premier League encounter at Stamford Bridge, but a combination of poor finishing and resilient Chelsea defending meant they entered the dying minutes trailing 1-0 to Eden Hazard's superb finish.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has warned Liverpool that his side are as hungry as ever to win the Champions League, rejecting claims that the Spanish giants might have lost their edge ahead of Saturday's final in Kiev.
Manager Juergen Klopp has extended his contract with Liverpool, less than a year since joining the club, the English Premier League side announced on Friday.
The 58-year-old pointed to the 26-point gap in the Premier League table between runners-up Liverpool and his fourth-placed former team as evidence of a massive gulf between the sides.
While England boast a formidable attacking threat, there are concerns about their defence which is perhaps why Southgate is prepared to look at new candidates before he has to make his final call for the tournament.
Reports in British media put the latest bid at 125 million euros.
Liverpool were left frustrated by Championship side Blackburn Rovers who defended heroically to draw 0-0 at Anfield.
United stewards ejected the fan, who British media reported had targeted Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, in the first half of the game.
Al-Nassr's Ronaldo red-carded as Al-Hilal win Saudi Super Cup semi-final
For all their improvement under Klopp, European champions Liverpool have not won at Old Trafford under the German
