By Jack Patmore.
Liverpool were unable to mount the miraculous come back they needed to advance past Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League, but it is fair to say that the club have had already had their fair share of memorable European nights.
They have lifted Europe’s elite trophy on six occasions, the first coming in 1977 and the most recent in 2019.
Now the are out of this year’s competition, Jürgen Klopp’s goal for the remainder of the season will be to ensure that they finish in a Champions League place in the league, to have another chance at European glory once again.
They have had some incredible nights on Europe’s biggest stage.
Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan (Pens 3-2): 2005 UEFA Champions League Final
Perhaps one of the most incredible nights in European football history, the date 25th May 2005 will bring a huge smile to Liverpool fans’ faces.
From three goals down, the Reds clawed their way back from defeat to complete an extraordinary comeback and pick up their fifth Champions League trophy. It was named The Miracle of Istanbul.
Liverpool made the worst start possible and were a goal down 52 seconds in when Paolo Maldini’s volley flew into the Reds’ net. Milan doubled their lead when Andriy Shevchenko played the ball across the box to Hernán Crespo to poke past Jerzy Dudek.
The Italian side were dominating them all over the pitch and it felt like there was no way back when shortly after, Milan added their third – Crespo again the scorer.
Heading into the second half, Rafael Benítez made a tactical adjustment and went with three at the back. The Reds were now back in this contest and they were creating chances. Their first goal came when Steven Gerrard headed home from John Arne Riise’s perfect cross from the left.
One then became two when Vladimír Šmicer’s long-range effort flew into the bottom left-hand corner to install yet more belief of a comeback into the Liverpool squad.
The Reds had a chance to equalise when Gerrard was brought down in the box by Gennaro Gattuso. Midfielder Xabi Alonso stepped up and squeezed the ball in from the rebound after Dida initially made a save.
Milan had a great opportunity to score in extra time as Dudek made a miraculous double save from Shevchenko to keep Liverpool in the final.
In the penalty shootout, the Reds were leading 3-2 after four penalties each, ahead of Shevchenko’s spot kick. His effort was saved which completed one of the finest nights in Liverpool’s history and one that will live in the memory of Liverpool fans forever.
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona: 2019 UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg
The odds were completely stacked against Liverpool but they performed a miracle, again. After a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou in the first leg, it seemed like a very unlikely outcome that the Reds were going to progress to the final.
Additionally, they were without two of their front three, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino, due to injury to add more difficulty to their monumental challenge.
It was like a cauldron inside Anfield on this May night in 2019 and hope was sparked a few minutes in when Jordan Henderson’s shot was saved and Divock Origi was there to hit home the rebound. The Catalans were a real threat on the attack and ex-Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho went close but his shot was saved by Alisson.
Klopp made an intelligent half-time substitution which saw Georginio Wijnaldum come on and he got their second eight minutes into the second half.
Hope was building and the possibility of a comeback was truly on when Wijnaldum equalised from a header to raise the decibel levels on the red side of Merseyside. Then, with 78 minutes on the clock, a moment of brilliance from Trent Alexander-Arnold. With the Barcelona defence unorganised, the right-back capitalised from the corner kick as he crossed the ball to Origi and the rest is history. A magnificent night for Liverpool fans.
Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur: 2019 UEFA Champions League final
After beating Barcelona in the semi-final, Liverpool were confident heading into the final against Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs experienced a miracle of their own as they came from three down against Ajax, across both legs, to win on away goals to set up an all-English final.
The Reds were awarded an early penalty when Mané’s cross hit the hand of Moussa Sissoko. Salah stepped up and converted past Hugo Lloris to give Liverpool an early lead at the Wanda Metropolitano.
It was a fairly uneventful game throughout with both teams not creating a lot of chances. Spurs, despite a flurry of attacks, couldn’t click in the final third and they just couldn’t find the back of the net. The tie was settled when Origi powerfully struck into the Tottenham net to once again help Liverpool in a crucial moment.
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