Forget Istanbul or Man Utd’s ‘night in Barcelona’… Liverpool’s was the greatest performance ever by an English side in Europe
DON’T worry Liverpool fans. It wasn’t a dream. It really did happen, You are going to Madrid. But after a night of such remarkable, unlikely, beautiful glory, you could forgive those Anfield supporters still trying to take it all in. Many of them lived through the miracle of Istanbul. Others have been weaned on the […]
DON’T worry Liverpool fans.
It wasn’t a dream. It really did happen, You are going to Madrid.
But after a night of such remarkable, unlikely, beautiful glory, you could forgive those Anfield supporters still trying to take it all in.
Many of them lived through the miracle of Istanbul. Others have been weaned on the tales of that evening in Turkey.
Yet what happened on Tuesday night surpassed those 14-year-old events, were even more of a feat.
This was, as far as I am concerned, the greatest performance by an English side in Europe.
Better than Istanbul.
Better than Manchester United in Barcelona or against Benfica in 1967.
Than Spurs putting five past Atletico Madrid to become the first British side to win a European trophy.
Than Chelsea’s inconceivable, backs to the wall night of joy in Munich.
Or Nottingham Forest’s double European Cup triumphs.
Yes, Istanbul was special, and not just for Liverpool fans.
But there was more than a touch of fortune about that memorable night.
A Liverpool team that was, arguably, the weakest Champions League-winning side.
Chaos on the dressing room at half-time, with Rafa Benitez all over the place as he tried to send out 12 players for the second period.
Against a Milan side that was over-confident even the day before the game.
All those misses from Andriy Shevchenko.
Jerzy Dudek emulating Bruce Grobbelaar’s 1984 “spaghetti legs”.
It was astonishing, unforgettable, joyous. A truly great night.
But Tuesday night was better. Genuinely better.
First of all, it was against Barcelona, three up from the first leg.
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Against Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest player of all-time. Plus Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique.
All that, stacked against a Liverpool side that lost Nabi Keita, Roberto Firmino and, of course, Mo Salah before the start. And then forced to play without Andy Robertson from half-time.
Yet, despite all that, fuelled by the passion of Anfield, Liverpool found a way.
Unlikely heroes, in the form of understudy Divock Origi and substitute Gigi Wijnaldum.
Home-grown stars, with Trent Alexander-Arnold giving a right-back performance for the ages, at just 20.
Total effort and commitment, flies round the jam-pot every time Messi got near the ball.
Clearance after clearance, when the pressure came on, from the imperious Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip, backed up by Alisson’s outstanding reflexes and shot-stopping.
Above all, total, unyielding, belief, in both the game-plan devised by Jurgen Klopp and their team-mates.
Yes, they needed a touch of luck as well.
That Barcelona would not take the chances they created. That Liverpool would, instead, convert most of theirs.
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In football, though, you always need that bounce of the ball. Then you need to take advantage.
Given the circumstances Liverpool faced, made all the more harder after Vincent Kompany’s stunner for Manchester City against Leicester had been a real kick in the teeth, it made their victory and display all the more magnificent.
There are night that become legends as soon as the final whistle is blown. At Anfield, we saw one of those nights. For me, the greatest of them all.
