As exhilarated Liverpool fans travel to Basel to witness what could be a record 4th Europa League trophy to go along with their 5 European cups (earlier known as the UEFA Cup) it has been a fairytale ride for the Reds and its fans in the Europa League. The magical nights at Anfield are well and truly back.
Liverpool's league form has been patchy at best but in Europe they have been a different specimen altogether. At Anfield, they have dispatched Manchester United, astounded Dortmund and brought Villarreal to their knees. Such has been the power of Anfield and its Kopites.
As Liverpool take on a Sevilla team that has a hat-trick of titles in sight, it won't be an easy game. Sevilla's form has been quite similar to Liverpool's. They have struggled in the league finishing only 7th, 12 points behind 4th placed Villarreal, but they too have been a different beast in Europe.
On the eve of what should be an enthralling contest we look back at Liverpool's previous Europa/UEFA Cup finals:
#1 1973 UEFA Cup Final: Liverpool vs Borussia Moenchengladbach (3-2)
Liverpool were appearing in their second European final whereas Gladbach were appearing in their first ever European final. Liverpool had already won the 1972-73 football league. As a result Liverpool were looking to become the first English team to win the European trophy in the same year as winning the league.
Those days European finals used to be a two-legged affair: a home leg and an away leg. Liverpool won the first leg at Anfield 3-0 with a brace from Kevin Keegan and a goal by Larry Lloyd.
In the second leg the Reds tried to protect their 3 goal lead, but former Bayern Munich manager Jupp Heynckes, who had missed a penalty in the first leg, scored a brace to give the German team a 2-0 lead in the first half. However, Liverpool saw out the second half to aggregate a 3-2 victory, thus winning their first European trophy.
#2 1976 UEFA Cup Final: Liverpool vs Club Brugge (4-3)
Liverpool came into the final having already wrapped up the League title while Belgian champions Brugge were appearing in their first final.
In the first leg at Anfield, Brugge started better of the two sides as a Phil Neal headed back pass was lobbed in the goal by Brugge's Raoul Lambert. Seven minutes later the Belgians extended their lead when Julien Cools scored.
As a result of this Reds manager Bob Paisely brought on midfielder Jimmy Case who had a positive impact. In the 59th-minute Ray Kennedy scored with substitute Case equalising just two minutes later. Three minutes later Liverpool took a 3-2 lead as Keegan dispatched a penalty after midfielder Heighway was fouled.
In the second leg Brugge needed to score only one clear goal to win on virtue of away goals. They got their goal when Lambert scored a penalty after Liverpool defender Smith had handled the ball inside the box. Responding to the setback, the Reds equalised through Keegan's right footed shot from a free-kick. The second leg draw meant they aggregated a 4-3 victory thus giving them their 2nd UEFA Cup Trophy.
#3 2001 UEFA Cup Final: Liverpool vs Alaves (5-4)
Liverpool went into the match having already won the League Cup and the FA Cup. So a victory against the Spanish side Alaves would secure them an unprecedented 'Cup Treble'. Liverpool were appearing in their 3rd UEFA Cup final having had a 100% record. Alaves had been a fairytale story of reaching their first European final in their first European season. Remarkably, they were in the 4th division just 11 years before.
First Half: Reds exert their dominance
Within the first four minutes Liverpool took the lead as Markus Babbel headed in a Gary McAllister free-kick. They doubled their lead through Steven Gerrard. Midway through the first half Ivan Alonso brought Alaves within a goal of the Reds. Liverpool added a third before half-time after McAllister scored from the penalty spot when Owen was brought down by goalkeeper Martin Herrera.
Second Half: Alaves produce a thrilling comeback
Minutes after the start of the second half, Javi Moreno scored twice to level the match at 3-3. With 18 minutes remaining a McAllister pass found Fowler on the left hand side; he cut in and shot into the top corner to make it 4-3 in Liverpool’s favour. In the 90th minute Jordi Cruyff – son of the legendary Johann Cruyff – headed in the equaliser and they deserved every bit of it.
Extra Time: Own Goal Heartache
The Golden Goal rule was being used during extra time, which meant whichever team would score first would win. Alaves looked like they had scored the goal through Ivan Alonso but it was deemed offside. Within 4 minutes Alaves had been reduced to 10 men as Magno was shown a second yellow. In the 115th minute of the match, Alaves had been reduced to 9 men as Karmona was sent off.
McAllister took the resulting free-kick which was headed into his own net by Delfi Geli. This won Liverpool the treble as well as their 3rd UEFA Cup levelling them with Juventus and Internazionale as record holders.
