Six reasons for Liverpool fans to be optimistic ahead of Real Madrid return leg

Liverpool fell to a heavy defeat in the Champions League on Tuesday night as reigning champions Real Madrid won 5-2 at Anfield. They face an uphill task to overturn the deficit in the second leg in three weeks time.

It was doom and gloom straight after the final whistle as Reds boss Jurgen Klopp conceded it looks almost certain his side are set to crash out of Europe, but opposition manager Carlo Ancelotti claimed the tie wasn’t over.

Despite the disappointment, Klopp said he’s still planning to go and win the game in Madrid and as Liverpool fans have witnessed many times over the years, if the Reds get one goal, then miracles can happen.

To instil a bit of optimism, we’ve picked out six of Liverpool’s best European comebacks.

Anfield, 2004/05 - Liverpool 3-1 Olympiakos

Liverpool’s historic fifth Champions League title came in the 2004/05 season, but before we come onto one of the greatest finals we’ve ever seen, we first have to look back at the game that saw them qualify into the knockout stages. The Reds needed a win by two clear goals from their final game against their Greek opposition, a task that became much harded when Rivaldo scored a free-kick in the 26th minute. A quickfire response from Florent Sinama-Pongolle was then added to by Neil Mellor 10 minutes before time. Then, Steven Gerrard stepped up with a glorious strike on the half-volley - accompanied by THAT iconic commentary from Andy Gray. An incredible goal that spurred them on to go and win the whole thing.

Anfield, 1976/77 - Liverpool 3-1 St Etienne

Liverpool faced off against St Etienne and looked destined for a third-round exit from the European Cup when an early away goal cancelled out Kevin Keegan’s opener. This gave the French side a crucial goal and 2-1 lead on aggregate. Bob Paisley’s men had to then score at least twice against a side who had only conceded once in their last nine European outings and were considered one of the strongest sides in Europe. As is the case with most of these comebacks, the second half was the turning point. Ray Kennedy got the ball rolling in the 59th minute before super-sub David Fairclough netted six minutes from time. That night set them on their way to winning their first Champions League in what is an iconic night for Liverpool.

Anfield, 1975/76 - Liverpool 3-2 Club Brugge

In what was a UEFA Cup final, Liverpool faced off against Club Brugge in the first of their two-legged final. Anfield was sent into shock as two early goals in the first 15 minutes saw the away side take a strong lead - a task made all the difficult by the fact that the away goal ruling was in effect. In what was perhaps the start of the big European comeback nights at Anfield, Bob Paisley’s side roared back in the second half with three goals in six minutes to shock their Belgian opponents. Goals from Ray Kennedy, Jimmy Case and Kevin Keegan secured a famous win and they went onto draw 1-1 in the second leg to secure the title.

Anfield, 2015/16 - Liverpool 4-3 Borussia Dortmund

In Jurgen Klopp’s first season, this extraordinary comeback was certainly a sign of things to come. Trailing 3-1 on the night, and 4-2 on aggregate, Liverpool needed three goals in half an hour to qualify. First, it was Philippe Coutinho, who struck in the 66th minute before Mamadou Sakho headed home 11 minutes later. Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovern was the Anfield hero on this occassion, as he rose the highest to head home in the 91st minute to ensure Liverpool moved onto the semi-finals of the Europa League - before then reaching the final against Sevilla. A memorable night that helped kick off the Klopp-era in style.

Anfield, 2018/19 - Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona

Having lost the first leg 3-0, the hopes of reaching another Champions League final looked bleak for the second leg against the might of Lionel Messi and Barcelona. To make matters worse, they were also missing key frontmen Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. Stepping up was Divock Origi and Giorginio Wijnaldum, who both etched their name into Liverpool folklore with two goals each, with the fourth coming from Origi late in the final ten minutes to score an unlikely victory before going onto win the final against fellow-Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

Istanbul, 2004/05 - Liverpool 3-3 AC Milan

A game that will never be forgotten, the 2005 Champions League final saw Rafael Benitez’s underdog side face off against a team that was packed with football legends. The likes of Kaka, Hernan Crespo and Paulo Maldini (to name a few) all helped to fire the Italians into a 3-0 lead at half-time. The game looked lost before Gerrard’s header early in the second half inspired the team and the fans. The Reds went onto to score twice in quick succession to draw level to the amazement of the footballing world. The game eventually went to penalties, where goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek was the hero as Liverpool won their fifth European Cup in the most astounding circumstances.