Lovren: Anfield atmosphere topped Dortmund - and we needed it
Dejan Lovren insisted Liverpool could not have overcome Villarreal to reach the Europa League final without the help of an Anfield atmosphere that he felt even surpassed the unforgettable quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund.
The Reds' home support lived up to its billing once more on Thursday evening as fans roared their team to a 3-0 victory that set up a winner-takes-all clash with Sevilla in Basel on May 18.
And Lovren, who had talked up the importance of 'the 12th man' prior to the second leg, considered the belief provided by the backing of the supporters to be crucial.
"It was a beautiful game. I think everybody enjoyed watching the game," the defender told Liverpoolfc.com.
"We didn't expect this result but we believed from the beginning. As I said before the game, everything is possible here at Anfield, it's tough for every opponent to play here and expect something.
"The 12th player helped us today, our fans, the atmosphere was really amazing - even better than against Dortmund. It was an amazing game."
With the threat of an away goal looming, the Reds' place in the final did not feel truly safe until Adam Lallana fired in the third to confirm defeat for the 10-man visitors.
Lovren was pleased with the manner in which he and his teammates managed that risk throughout the game, containing a dangerous attack admirably across 90 minutes.
He said: "We needed just to play our game and be confident in every situation [then] when we attacked we needed also to defend smartly at the same time.
"I would say we had almost a perfect game. We didn't step back, we were always on the front foot, and so I think it's a deserved win.
"They are not fourth in the Spanish league without reason, they're a really good defensive team.
"They have quality players, but we also have quality players and I think we showed our character to everyone. They can believe in us."
Of course, the centre-back refused to yet look ahead to the trip to Switzerland later this month, with three Barclays Premier League fixtures still to come before then.
"We still have a couple of games in the Premier League to play, we need to be concentrated, [take it] step by step," he added.
"We don't need to think of the final now, everything will come day by day.
"We need to just be calm and confident and hopefully without injuries so we can play with a full squad in the final."