Five Memorable European Nights for Liverpool

European games under the lights can be magical

It would be going too far to suggest that it has been a season to forget for Liverpool. European qualification should always be celebrated. But this is a club that is used to playing at the highest level and competing for league titles. It is fair to say that it has not been one of those seasons.
 
Apart from being well off the pace in the Premier League, a really disappointing aspect of the 2022-23 campaign was the round of 16 Champions League exit. The luck of the draw gave us Real Madrid, but that home leg disaster was worse than anyone expected. As Jürgen Klopp prepares to revitalise the squad for next year and we dream of being the favourites in the Champions League betting markets, here are five European nights that will always live long in the memory of any Liverpool fan.

Liverpool 3-1 Olympiakos, 2004

We have purposely not included some of the great European finals. But this victory may well have inspired the players to go all the way in the 2004-05 season and mount the greatest Champions League comeback of all time. It could be argued that this match day six win put the belief in the players’ heads.
 
After some disappointing results in a group that didn’t seem to be too taxing, Liverpool needed to beat Olympiakos by two clear goals. So an early Rivaldo strike meant three were now needed to progress. Sinama-Pongolle and Mellor scored the opening two – but it was left to Steven Gerrard to blast a 25-yard screamer for the winner in front of the Kop and put Liverpool on their way to ultimate glory.

Liverpool 3-1 Inter, 1965

Bill Shankly’s team had won the FA Cup just three days before this European Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield and the trophy was paraded around the ground to a roaring crowd that obviously unnerved the Italian visitors. Inter were probably the best side in the world at the time. But they hadn’t experienced anything like the Anfield crowd before.
 
Roger Hunt scored after just four minutes and Inter were stunned. Ian Callaghan and Ian St John added two more to the delight of the home crowd and only an Inter goal blemished a wonderful night on Merseyside. But it was that goal that ended up denying Liverpool a place in the final, when Inter won the second leg 3-0 in Milan.

Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City, 2018

After cruising through the group stage unbeaten and then winning 5-0 in Porto to make the second leg of the round of 16 tie a mere formality, Liverpool were drawn against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. City were not quite the powerhouse they are today but they were on the way to a league title – and were a side to avoid.
 
For all Guardiola’s tactical nous, it was Jürgen Klopp that outwitted the Spanish coach once again, with Liverpool scoring three goals in a dizzying 19-minute spell in the first half. A 3-0 win at home was followed by another 2-1 triumph at the Etihad and Liverpool had the Anfield crowd to thank, once again, for a famous victory.

 
There have been some wonderful European games at Anfield

Liverpool 4-3 Borussia Dortmund, 2016

It doesn’t have to be the Champions League for a Liverpool European night to be special. It was the Europa League in 2015-16 and an unconvincing group stage had still seen Liverpool finish top and there had also been the chance to beat Manchester United on the way to a quarter-final meeting with Borussia Dortmund.
 
A good 1-1 draw in Germany looked positive, but two quick goals for Dortmund at Anfield gave the team everything to do. Origi did get one back – but then the Bundesliga outfit scored again. All looked lost with just 25 minutes to go. But three goals without reply – the last from Lovren in stoppage time – capped off another memorable night under the lights.

Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea, 2005

This is a season that will forever go down in history for Liverpool Football Club. We have already mentioned the Olympiakos game – and the final was incredible as well. But the semi-final victory over Chelsea is also the stuff of memories. Chelsea were the team to beat at the time – and that is exactly what Liverpool did at Anfield.
 
The first leg had finished 0-0, so there was everything to play for. In the end, it was a solitary goal from Luis Garcia that decided the tie and set the club up for European triumph. It is still regarded as controversial by some but all Liverpool fans know is that it brought the club a first European final for 20 years.

Written by Alan Spencer