In the eyes of many, Liverpool belong in Europe. A season for the Reds without a Champions League campaign is like a banquet without any food. The fact that Liverpool have won the European Cup more times than any other English side and three times as many as the city of London as a whole has certainly helped to persuade Scousers that it might well be a competition worthy of their time.
It also plays in to the nature of Liverpool as a city, always being outward looking and keen to think of Europe as more closely linked to us than the likes of Westminster. Liverpool’s European record is an impressive one.
Looking at Liverpool in Europe’s Elite Competition
Season | Performance | Wins/Draws/Losses |
---|---|---|
1964-1965 | Semi-Finals | 5/3/1 |
1966-1967 | Second Round | 2/1/2 |
1973-1974 | Second Round | 1/1/2 |
1976-1977 | Winners | 7/0/2 |
1977-1978 | Winners | 5/0/2 |
1978-1979 | First Round | 0/1/1 |
1979-1980 | First Round | 1/0/1 |
1980-1981 | Winners | 6/3/0 |
1981-1982 | Quarter-Finals | 4/1/1 |
1982-1983 | Quarter-Finals | 4/0/2 |
1983-1984 | Winners | 8/1/0 |
1984-1985 | Runners-Up | 6/1/2 |
2001-2002 | Quarter-Finals | 7/7/2 |
2002-2003 | Group Stage | 2/2/2 |
2004-2005 | Winners | 9/3/3 |
2005-2006 | Round of 16 | 8/3/3 |
2006-2007 | Runners-Up | 9/2/4 |
2007-2008 | Semi-Finals | 8/3/3 |
2008-2009 | Quarter-Finals | 7/4/1 |
2009-2010 | Group Stage | 2/1/3 |
2014-2015 | Group Stage | 2/2/4 |
2017-2018 | Runners-Up | 9/4/2 |
2018-2019 | Winners | 8/1/4 |
2019-2020 | Round of 16 | 4/1/3 |
2020-2021 | Quarter-Finals | 6/2/2 |
2021-2022 | Runners-Up | 10/1/2 |
2022-2023 | Round of 16 | 5/0/3 |
The table above looks at each of the seasons in which Liverpool have played in the European Cup, which later became known as the Champions League. When it comes to the Wins/Draws/Losses category, the final will be classed as a win even if the match ended up going to extra-time and/or penalties. Qualifying rounds are also included alongside the stats.
Taking a Closer Look at Liverpool’s Final Performances
Having won the European Cup four times and the Champions League twice for a total of six victories in the competition, it is no wonder that Liverpool are considered to be European Royalty. Here is a closer look at each of the performances that the Reds have put in making it to the final of the tournament:
1976-1977: The First European Cup Win
The Reds had only made three appearances in the European Cup when Bob Paisley took them to the final at the end of the 1976-1977 campaign. Having already won the First Division, Liverpool were losing finalists in the FA Cup as the club’s bitter rivals Manchester United lifted the trophy.
It is fair to say that the tournament was easier in some respects back in the seventies, with the Reds’ first opponents in the competition being the Northern Irish side Crusaders. That set up a two-legged affair with Turkish team Trabzonspor that we lost the first-leg of but made up for it in the second at Anfield.
Also on this day on the 25th May 1977 – #LFC won the European Cup in Rome for the first time in their history. 🔴 pic.twitter.com/afoowr4Cp4
— Carl Clemente (@clemente_carl) May 25, 2019
The quarter-final involved a trip to France to play AS Saint-Étienne, which we lost 1-0 before defeating them 3-1 in the second-leg to make it through to the semi-final against FC Zürich, winning 6-1 on aggregate. The final itself took place the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, with Liverpool taking the lead over Borussia Mönchengladbach thanks to a Terry McDermott goal after 28 minutes.
The Germans drew leave early in the second-half before the Reds retook the lead through Tommy Smith after 65 minutes prior Phil Neal sealing it via the penalty spot in the 83rd minute. European Cup number one was won.
1977-1978: Retaining the Cup
Bob Paisley’s men missed out on the title to newly promoted Nottingham Forest, also losing the League Cup final to Brian Clough’s side. In the November of 1977 they won the European Super Cup by defeating Hamburg over two legs, but it was in retaining the European Cup that the Reds really impressed.
A win over Dynamo Dresden was followed up by defeating Benfica in order to setup a semi-final against the previous season’s losing finalists Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Germans won the first-leg 2-1, but three goals at Anfield without reply saw Liverpool head to a final against Belgium side Club Brugge.
It was hosted at Wembley Stadium, making it virtually a home game for Liverpool. Even so, it was a close affair and it took a goal from Kenny Dalglish in the 64th minute to separate the two teams. 92,500 witnessed the Reds pick up their second European Cup in as many years.
1980-1981: A Hat-Trick of European Cups in a Hat-Trick Season
Liverpool underperformed in the First Division, finishing an incredibly disappointing fifth. They also exited the FA Cup in the fourth round, but they had already won the Charity Shield at the start of the season at a time when that was taken more seriously, which they later added the League Cup to in terms of silverware.
They were both minor competitions, however, so it was in the European Cup that Liverpool’s hopes of picking up a major trophy lay. They had to beat minor teams like Oulu Palloseura, Aberdeen and CSKA Sofia on their way to a semi-final against Bayern Munich that they won thanks to the away goals rule.
The win over Bayern meant that it was off to the Parc des Princes to play Real Madrid in the final. The Spanish side were probably seen as favourites, thanks in no small part to their history in the tournament. Liverpool kept things tight, though, and then Alan Kennedy scored the only goal in the game in the 82nd minute to secure a hat-trick of European Cups for the Reds.
As they would come to learn, though, beating Real Madrid isn’t as easy as that team made it look….
1983-1984: Joe Fagan Continues the Success
When Bob Paisley retired, Joe Fagan was promoted from the coaching staff to take on the manager’s role. He won the League Cup as his first piece of silverware, beating Everton to make it all the sweeter, and then secured the First Division title. It was in the European Cup that Liverpool had begun to be really judged, however, so wins against Odense BK, Athletic Bilbao, Benfica and Dinamo Bucharest, with just one draw, helped to setup a final against Roma.
The major concern for Liverpool was that it was being played at Roma’s own ground, the Stadio Olimpico.
That obviously made the Italians favourites, but as the two sets of players waited in the tunnel to head out onto the pitch, the Liverpool players began singing in Chris Rea’s song I Don’t Know What it is But I Love It.
That might well have got into Roma’s heads, with the Reds taking the lead after 13 minutes. They equalised just before half-time and, with no further goals in extra-time, penalties were needed. Liverpool won them 4-2, thanks to Bruce Grobbelaar’s famous spaghetti legs.
1984-1985: The Heysel Stadium Disaster
One of the darkest times in the history of Liverpool Football Club occurred at the European Cup final in 1985. None of the information about the route to the final nor what happened in the match itself truly matter, given what happened before kick-off. There are many different things that caused Heysel, with Liverpool and Juventus both writing to UEFA informing them that the stadium wasn’t fit to host a major final, as well as members of the National Front being present prior to the match stoking up hatred.
Ultimately, though, it was the behaviour of Liverpool fans that brought shame on the club.
Supporters breached a fence that was separating the two sets of supporters, charging at Juventus fans and causing them to retreat. The weight of people caused one of the retaining walls to collapse, which resulted in the deaths of 39 supporters. Remarkably, UEFA ignored called to postpone the match, which went ahead and saw Juventus win 1-0. It resulted in people going to prison and English fans being banned from taking part in European competition, with Liverpool given an extra ban on top of that.
2004-2005: The Miracle of Istanbul
The Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul played host to one of the most remarkable football matches ever played. Liverpool were not overly impressive under new manager Rafael Benítez, but there were moments during the season, losing in the final of the League Cup but defeating Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final, having already beaten Juventus over two legs.
It was AC Milan that the Reds had to take on in the final, with the Italian side considered to be one of the best defensive sides in the world at the time. When they went into a 3-0 lead in the first-half, it was seen as their trophy.
The Miracle of Istanbul ✨#OnThisDay in 2005 🌟 pic.twitter.com/l5lX5jzNJ2
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 25, 2024
Liverpool were looking to avoid embarrassment as far as most people were concerned, but a Steven Gerrard goal in the 54th minute was seen as a consolation. Vladimir Šmicer scored a second two minutes later, allowing people to dream, before Xabi Alonso scored the equaliser from the penalty spot.
No more goals were scored in normal and extra-time, largely thanks to Jerzy Dudek’s heroics in goal, with the Polish player also ‘doing a Grobbelaar’ in the penalty shootout to help Liverpool win the trophy for the fifth time, allowing them to keep it.
2006-2007: Revenge for AC Milan
Two years later and Liverpool and AC Milan went head-to-head again in the Champions League final, this time at the Olympic Stadium in Athens. In truth, the Reds played better this time around but AC Milan ended up taking home the trophy. They led after Filippo Inzaghi scored in the 45th minute, then he doubled their lead in the 82nd.
A Dirk Kuyt goal a minute before the end of normal time offered some hope, but it wasn’t to be. It was revenge for the Italians and their manager, Carlo Ancelotti, denying Rafa Benítez a second European Cup as Liverpool manager. The less said about the game the better.
2017-2018: Defeat Number One to Real Madrid
Jürgen Klopp had well and truly got his feet under the door by the time the 2017-2018 season came around, with new signing Mohamed Salah breaking all sorts of records thanks to his goalscoring ability. The Reds made it through the play-offs and finished top of their group, winning a thrilling match semi-final against Roma to earn a place in the final.
A concussion suffered by Liverpool’s goalkeeper, Loris Karius, led to some big mistakes that handed Spanish side Real Madrid the trophy. For Liverpool supporters, the journey to Kyiv stood out for its brilliance, meaning that the loss was easier for them to stomach.
2018-2019: Let’s Talk About Six, Baby
The loss to Real Madrid the year before always felt like the beginning of the journey rather than the end. Even so, when Liverpool lost 3-0 to Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the semi-final and Manchester City defeated Leicester City to all but secure the Premier League title, it felt as though fate was laughing at the Reds.
They ended up finishing on 97 points but missing out in winning their first top-flight title of the Premier League era, but a 4-0 win over the Spanish side at Anfield secured another Champions League final appearance, this time against fellow English side Tottenham Hotspur.
@theanfieldlark Jürgen Klopp – Let’s talk about 6 #Liverpoolfc #saltnpepa #6times #tiktok_collaboration
Tottenham had a thrilling semi-final of their own against Ajax, having already knocked out Manchester City, so it was never going to be a walkover. That being said, when Mo Salah converted a penalty after just two minutes, it certainly made things easier.
What followed was an incredibly tense match, with Spurs throwing everything at it but Liverpool’s defence standing firm. The release when Divock Origi scored in the 87th minute was palpable, handing Jürgen Klopp his first major piece of silverware as Liverpool manager.
2021-2022: That Real Madrid Again
The Liverpool side of the 2021-2022 season came closer to winning a quadruple than any other side had ever managed, winning the League Cup and FA Cup as well as taking the Premier League to the final day, only to miss out on the title by a single point once more.
The hope was that they could at least win the Champions League, which was tainted when supporters were stopped from entering the Stade de France and tear-gassed by French police. A remarkable performance from Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kept the Spaniards in the game, eventually winning it 1-0 in cruel fashion.