Despite witnessing Champions League history in the first 30 seconds of the final in Madrid, fans have blasted the spectacle as "boring" after the rest of the first half failed to deliver.
Mohamed Salah's penalty goal — the fastest of all time — in the first minute kicked off an electrifying atmosphere but a collection of shoddy passes and out of character errors from both sides left the world wanting as Liverpool held the 1-0 lead going into halftime.
Former footballer Dominic Matteo described the display as "sloppy".
Both teams have been sloppy, both managers will be having words at half-time about the quality, keeping the ball. Tottenham have dominated possession better than Liverpool, which I'm surprised at.
"They've had opportunities, especially Spurs in that last five or 10 minutes, when they've got in behind the defence but at this level it's just not been good enough. It's those details which get you goals and results and neither side have produced any moments of magic for me yet."
Pitch invader makes an appearance
1-0: Liverpool strikes early
Well that was quick.
Mere seconds after kick-off, the Spurs conceded a penalty via a handball by Moussa Sissoko, who lazily had his arm outstretched as Mane attempted a cross.
"I think Sissoko was trying to tell Trippier to mark the runner who was behind him.
"As he's gone to do it, it's been hit at him and with the new rules, if your arm's up and it hits you, it's a penalty," commentator Jamie O'Hara said.
Liverpool's Mohamed Sala stepped up to the plate and sunk the free shot to bring the score to 1-0 one minute in, making it the fastest goal in the history of Champions League finals.
"That opener understandably sent Spurs fans into a state of disbelief, but they are starting to raise the noise levels once more, and their team are slowly growing into this one," Sky reporter Michael Hinks said.
Unlikely heroes to shine?
Lucas Moura and Divock Origi have been the unlikely heroes for Tottenham and Liverpool in the Champions League this season.
They kept alive their team's hopes of winning the European title with crucial goals and decisive performances.
Without them, the English sides probably wouldn't have made it to Sunday's final in the Spanish capital.
But despite helping their teams reach the final at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, both may miss out on playing in the match because of the return from injuries of Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino will have to choose between the in-form Moura and the recently injured Kane, while Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will have to sit Origi or rearrange his attack to leave him in the line-up along with Salah.
Moura has been starting since Kane hurt an ankle ligament in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.
The Brazilian scored the hat trick that allowed Tottenham to come from behind and beat Ajax 3-2 in the second leg of the semi-finals, helping the English club overcome a 1-0 home loss in the first match.
The hat trick included a stoppage-time goal that sealed the comeback and the team's first-ever final appearance.
"All of this is a dream and now I have the opportunity to play in the final and to win the competition I have always dreamt about," Moura told UEFA.com.
"Without a doubt it's the best moment of my career."
Origi replaced Salah after the Egyptian had a concussion in a game against Newcastle in the Premier League just before the second leg against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals.
Origi scored a late winner against Newcastle after replacing Salah in the second half, then was crucial in the return match against Barcelona, scoring twice in the 4-0 win that put the team in the final for the second straight season.
