Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admits that his side’s progress since the sale of Philippe Coutinho has pleasantly surprised him.
The Brazilian joined Barcelona for £114m last January and the Reds have mounted a serious title challenge in his absence.
"Yes we miss Coutinho, a lot, because he is a world-class player and I loved working with him," Klopp told Sky Sports.
"But we had to deal without him and we really did well. When I first heard he wanted to go to Barcelona, I didn't imagine we could be that good [without him]. But we did, it was all good for both sides."
Barca currently lead Liverpool 3-0 after the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp, with the second leg at Anfield on Tuesday evening.