Liverpool headed to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night with a monstrous task ahead of them. Thanks to a first-leg capitulation at Anfield, the reigning champions Real Madrid ran out 5-2 winners and left Jürgen Klopp’s side with a mountain to climb. oddschecker, which compares football odds and offers, had made the side from the Spanish capital the favourites to progress before a ball was kicked in the two-legged tie, and those predictions looked accurate following the first leg.
But The Reds have overturned three-goal deficits before. Admittedly they have usually done so on home turf, but still, Liverpool have previous when it comes to iconic European nights. Here are Liverpool’s greatest European comebacks in modern times.
2018/19: Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona (Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate)
Four years ago, Liverpool faced a similarly herculean-like task against Real Madrid’s greatest rivals, Barcelona. Thanks to a Lionel Messi masterclass, the Blaugrana ran out 3-0 winners in the first leg in the Nou Camp, and had it not been for Ousmane Dembélé’s lack of composure, it could have been four. Despite that, the Catalonians headed to Merseyside as the overwhelming favourites to pick up a result and secure their spot in the Champions League final.
To make matters worse for Liverpool, both Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were ruled out of the second leg. But that didn’t matter once Divock Origi gave the hosts the lead after just three minutes. Jürgen Klopp introduced Georginio Wijnaldum at half time and he immediately repaid his manager’s faith in him with two goals in two minutes to tie things up in aggregate.
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The game was on a knife edge but the visitors knew that if they could back that all-important away goal, they would have one foot in the final. That goal never came, however, and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s quick thinking from a late corner gave Origi the chance to net his second, and he duly obliged. The full-time whistle would come and secure The Reds’ spot in their second consecutive Champions League final. And this time, they ran out as winners thanks to a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.
2015/16: Liverpool 4-3 Borussia Dortmund (Liverpool win 5-4 on aggregate)
Three years prior to that victory, Liverpool faced Klopp’s former club Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarterfinals. The first leg in Germany finished 1-1, leaving things all to play for at Anfield. However, when Dortmund raced into a two-goal lead inside nine minutes, it looked as though it would be die Schwartzgelben that progressed. Liverpool would pull one back before Marco Reus made it 3-1 on the night on the hour mark.
With all hope seemingly lost, Liverpool sprung into life. Philippe Coutinho pulled one back in the 66th minute before Origi once again tied things up on the night leaving The Reds needing one more goal to progress. That goal came in the 91st minute when Dejan Lovren nodded home from James Milner’s cross, leaving Liverpool fans celebrating long into the night after accomplishing another impossible mission.
