Salah, Liverpool's top scorer who missed the game as he followed protocols after a concussion, entered the stadium before kickoff wearing a T-shit bearing the message: "Never Give Up."

Then teammate Andrew Robertson set the tone on the field, pushing Messi's head with two hands while the Barcelona forward was on the ground after an early challenge. Fabinho followed that up with a crunching tackle on Luis Suarez, who was jeered relentlessly by Liverpool fans at the ground he graced for 3 years.

A goal was needed to really give a shaken Barca team the jitters and it arrived after seven minutes, with Origi tapping into an empty net after goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen could only parry out a shot by Jordan Henderson.

Barcelona already looked rattled, with Suarez living up to his role as the player opposition fans love to hate. In one incident, the striker flicked his boot back into the right knee of Robertson as they ran along together. Robertson needed treatment and was substituted at halftime.

The player who came on for Robertson — Wijnaldum — made an almost instant impact, making it 2-0 by sweeping home a low cross from Alexander-Arnold.