Liverpool vs Barcelona: Jose Mourinho lauds Jurgen Klopp for ‘heart, soul and fantastic empathy’ to inspire Champions League classic

The Portuguese heralded the German's impact at Anfield, despite the loss of key players and a 3-0 first leg deficit

Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on Jurgen Klopp for inspiring Liverpool's stunning Champions League comeback against Barcelona.

The Reds rallied from 3-0 down from the first leg to shock the Spanish champions with a thrilling 4-0 win at Anfield to make their second straight European final.

And the former Manchester United boss put aside his previous rivalry with the German, raving about his impact on the Reds.

"For me, this has one name -- Jurgen," Mourinho, who led Porto and Inter Milan to the Champions League title, told beIN Sports.

"This is about him. This is a reflection of his personality -- don't give up -- his fighting spirit, every player giving everything.

"He's not crying because he's missing (injured) players, he's not crying because they're playing 50 or 60 matches a season... Today is about Jurgen's mentality.

"This is not about tactics, not about philosophy. This is about heart and soul and fantastic empathy he has created with that group of players."

Liverpool risked finishing the season without a trophy with Manchester City leading the Premier League title race with one game to go and Barcelona heavy favourites to advance to the final after a commanding win at the Nou Camp.

But the thrilling victory over the Spanish champions gave the Merseyside club a chance of winning a sixth European Cup when they face either Tottenham Hotspur or Ajax Amsterdam in the final on June 1.

Jurgen Klopp looks on in delight (REUTERS)

Klopp's side were only the third team in the history of Europe's top club competition to come from three goals down after the first leg of a semi-final and progress, matching Panathinaikos in 1970-71 and Barcelona in 1985-86.

"I didn't expect (this result)," Mourinho, who also coached Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United, added. "I said if it's possible, Anfield is one of the places to make it possible.

Klopp joins his players to celebrate (Getty)

"They were at risk of finishing a fantastic season with nothing to celebrate and now they are one step away from being European champions."