There is a saying that Liverpool Football Club without European football is like a banquet without wine. It is fair to point out that this is main in reference to the European Cup, but there have been times when the Reds haven’t made it into the top tier of European football, meaning that they’ve had to make do with the UEFA Cup, which was later rebranded to become the Europa League.
It is a competition filled with history, as well as giving the Reds the chance to play in the likes of the UEFA Super Cup, which has always been a fun thing to watch, even if it is little more than a glorified friendly between the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League.
@kevarmstrong50
For a lot of Liverpool supporters, the UEFA Cup holds a special place in their hearts on account of the fact that it was the first European trophy that the club won. As soon as the Reds began to enjoy more sustained success, of course, it was quickly replaced in terms of importance by the European Cup, but it remains one of the trophies that older Liverpool fans will remember fondly when they think back to Bill Shankly’s time in the Anfield dugout.
The Scot revolutionised Liverpool, turning the club from a Second Division side with a glorious history to a top-flight outfit with the ability to compete at the highest level in the game.
Winning the UEFA Cup was something of a crowning glory for the man who had already lifted the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history and restored the Reds to the top of the First Division. Proving that he could master it in Europe was the defining moment of his career in some ways.
That Bob Paisley also won it a few years later was proof positive that he was exactly the right man to take over from the father of modern day Liverpool, whilst also setting the groundwork for what was to come in the European Cup itself. Even years later, with the 21st century equivalent of Bill Shankly, it proved to be a touchstone tournament.
Dean loved scoring in the UEFA Cup!Dean Saunders bagged a hat-trick as Liverpool FC beat Swarovski Tirol 4-0 at Anfield on this day in 1991!
— LFChistory.net (@lfchistory.bsky.social) 2024-12-11T10:40:01.911Z
Jürgen Klopp took over the manager’s job from Brendan Rodgers in the October of the 2015-2016 season, revitalising things for both supporters and the players. It was in the near-misses that Liverpool fans took the greatest heart, when the German somehow managed to take a squad that had grossly underperformed under his Northern Irish predecessor and get it to not one but two cup finals.
They lost both of them, with Manchester City winning the League Cup and Sevilla being victorious in the Europa League, but there was a sense of promise that accompanied the defeats that gave supporters belief that Klopp was the right man.
There’s some decent teams left in the Europa League, but every year I end up wondering how Liverpool got United, Dortmund, Villarreal and Sevilla in one year. pic.twitter.com/8J48L0Eitf
— Andrew Beasley (@BassTunedToRed) March 9, 2023
That loss to Sevilla felt particularly cruel, largely on account of the fact that the Reds had produced one of the all-time great European nights at Anfield in order to get past Borussia Dortmund, then knocked out Manchester United on their way to the final. The final itself featured one of the best goals you could hope to see from a losing side thanks to the boot of Daniel Sturridge, but coming close and yet missing out seemed to sum up his time in a Liverpool shirt.
In the end, the loss in the final in 2016 was the start of something greater, just as Liverpool’s relationship with the UEFA Cup in general seems to have been the same.
Liverpool in the UEFA Cup / Europa League
| Season | Performance | Last Team Faced |
|---|---|---|
| 1971-1972 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1972-1973 | Winners | Borussia Mönchengladbach |
| 1973-1974 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1974-1975 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1975-1976 | Winners | Club Brugge |
| 1976-1977 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1977-1978 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1978-1979 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1979-1980 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1980-1981 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1981-1982 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1982-1983 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1983-1984 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1984-1985 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1985-1986 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1986-1987 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1987-1988 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1988-1989 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1989-1990 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1990-1991 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1991-1992 | Quarter-Finals | Genoa |
| 1992-1993 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1993-1994 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1994-1995 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1995-1996 | Second Round | Brøndby |
| 1996-1997 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 1997-1998 | Second Round | Strasbourg |
| 1998-1999 | Third Round | Celta Vigo |
| 1999-2000 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2000-2001 | Winners | Alavés |
| 2001-2002 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2002-2003 | Quarter-Finals | Celtic |
| 2003-2004 | Fourth Round | Marseille |
| 2004-2005 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2005-2006 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2006-2007 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2007-2008 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2008-2009 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2009-2010 | Semi-Finals | Atlético Madrid |
| 2010-2011 | Round of 16 | Braga |
| 2011-2012 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2012-2013 | Round of 32 | Zenit Saint Petersburg |
| 2013-2014 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2014-2015 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2015-2016 | Losing Finalists | Sevilla |
| 2016-2017 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2017-2018 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2018-2019 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2019-2020 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2020-2021 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2021-2022 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2022-2023 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
| 2023-2024 | Quarter-Finals | Atalanta |
| 2024-2025 | Did Not Compete | Did Not Compete |
Taking a Closer Look at Liverpool’s UEFA Cup / Europa League Wins
In some ways, it makes complete sense that Liverpool’s record in the UEFA Cup / Europa League is as sketchy as it is, considering the fact that the Reds have dominated the Champions League more than any other British side. Yet you would be forgiven for expecting the Merseyside club to have won it more times than they actually have, given that the first two times they entered the competition they won it.
That being said, it was often poorer sides that ended up playing in it, having either not been good enough to make it into the Champions League or else falling into the Europa League when struggling to make it out of the group.
Here is a look at those times that the Reds have ended up as winners of the UEFA Cup, having yet to win it since it was rebranded to the Europa League at the time of writing:
1973 (Liverpool 3 Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 on Aggregate)
The 1973 iteration of the UEFA Cup was such that it was played over two legs. Whilst Liverpool typically tend to do better in cup competitions with the second-leg at Anfield, it was actually the first-leg that the Reds had at home for their encounter with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Having despatched with Eintracht Frankfurt in the first round, AEK Athens in the second and BFC Dynamo in the third, Liverpool took on Dynamo Dresden in the quarter-finals and won 3-0 on aggregate. That set up a semi-final double-header with defending champions Tottenham Hotspur, which Bill Shankly’s men won on the away goals rule.
In the first-leg of the final, a goal from Kevin Keegan after 21 minutes set the Reds on their way, with Keegan doubling his tally 11 minutes later. A third goal from centre-back Larry Lloyd was enough to allow Liverpool supporters to head off to Germany full of confidence thanks to Lloyd, Chris Lawler and the rest of the defence keeping a clean sheet. They couldn’t do the same in the second-leg, however, where Jupp Heynckes scored after 29 minutes and then, mirroring Keegan’s exploits in the first-leg, got a second 11 minutes later. This time, though, the Reds held firm and handed both Shankly and the club their first European trophy.
1976 (Liverpool 4 Club Brugge 3 on Aggregate)
The 1975-1976 version of the UEFA Cup was just like the one that the Reds had won three years before, insomuch as the final was once again played over two legs. It was Scottish side Hibernian that Liverpool had to overcome in the first round, making it through a tight affair before smashing Real Sociedad 9-1 on aggregate in the second round. A 5-1 aggregate win over Śląsk Wrocław in the third round saw Liverpool progress to the quarter-finals, where a 2-1 aggregate win over Dynamo Dresden, the same team they’d defeated at the same stage in 1973, put them into the semi-finals against Spanish side Barcelona.
Ronnie Moran after the Reds 1-0 victory in the UEFA Cup, semi-final at Camp Nou. 1976 #LFC #YNWA
When Liverpool won that tie 2-1 on aggregate, it meant that they could take on the Belgian team Club Brugge in the final. The first-leg was once again at Anfield, with Liverpool winning 3-2 thanks to goals from Ray Kennedy on the hour mark, Jimmy Case two minutes later and a Kevin Keegan penalty three minutes on from that cancelling out a goal after five minutes from Raoul Lambert and another ten minutes on from Julien Cools. It was advantage Liverpool heading into the second-leg, but that was cancelled out after 11 minutes by a penalty from Lambert. A goal from Keegan four minutes later proved to be the winner, however.
2001 (Liverpool 5 Alavés After Extra-Time)
The 2000-2001 UEFA Cup campaign was notable for the fact that it employed the Golden Goal in the final, but for Liverpool it was also the final leg of a treble-winning campaign under French manager Gérard Houllier. The Reds had already won the League Cup and the FA Cup, beginning their UEFA Cup campaign with a 1-0 aggregate win over Rapid București in the first round. Round two resulted in a 4-2 aggregate win over Slovan Liberec in order to setup a third round game with Olympiacos. The fourth round was a 2-1 aggregate win over Roma, whilst the quarter-finals was a 2-0 aggregate victory over Roma.
@3retro_ 2001 UEFA Cup final #fyp #lfc #liverpool #alaves #ynwa #anfield #kopites #footytiktok #00sfootball #michaelowen #robbiefowler #stevengerrard
It was once again Barcelona in the semi-finals, with Liverpool becoming the only English team to defeat the Spanish giants at the Nou Camp in a 1-0 aggregate win. More Spaniards awaited in the final, which was a thrilling affair Markus Babbel gave the Reds a lead after three minutes, which Steven Gerrard doubled 13 minutes later. Iván Alonso pulled one back for Alavés before Gary Mcallister made it 3-1 from the penalty spot. Two goals in two minutes from Javier Moreno meant it was 3-3 before Robbie Fowler gave Liverpool the lead after 72 minutes. A goal from Jordi Cruyff in the 88th minute too the game to extra-time, where a McAllister free-kick was put into his own net by Delfi Geli to see Liverpool win by Golden Goal.
