Reliving 12 Great European Nights at Anfield

The Champions League is back at Anfield, with Liverpool set to open their return to premier European competition after five years away against the Bulgarians Ludogorets Razgrad this evening.

The Reds are renowned worldwide for their European history, with five European Cup/Champions League titles and three Uefa Cups to their name. Those successes were largely built on their home displays, with Anfield bearing witness to some magical evenings which live long in supporters' memories.

Here are 12 memorable matches:

Liverpool 3 Inter Milan 1, 4th May 1965

Legend has it that fans were queuing around the block outside Anfield before this European Cup semi-final first leg against the legendary Italians, and Bill Shankly's side didn't let the 54,082 who got inside down.

On probably the club's first ever great European night, the Reds beat Inter 3-1 thanks to goals from Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan and Ian St. John in front of a raucous crowd. The win was ultimately to prove fruitless as Inter responded by winning the second leg 3-0 in Italy, a match that Shankly long suspected was fixed in favour of the hosts, as detailed by Ian Herbert of The Independent in 2008.

Liverpool 3 Borussia Moenchengladbach 0, 10th May 1973

The Reds secured their first European trophy in 1973, as German side Borussia Moenchengladbach were brushed aside in the first leg of the Uefa Cup final.

A classic link-up between John Toshack and Kevin Keegan produced the opening goal for the latter, and although Keegan saw a penalty saved, further goals from him and defender Larry Lloyd gave the Reds a commanding 3-0 advantage.

Reds goalkeeper Ray Clemence saved a penalty from Jupp Heynckes late, and that was to prove crucial as Liverpool lost the second leg 2-0 in Germany, ultimately running out 3-2 aggregate winners.

Liverpool 3 Bruges 2, 28th April 1976

The Reds fell 2-0 down inside the opening 12 minutes of the first leg of the 1976 Uefa Cup final, making a second European trophy inside three years look something of an impossibility.

However, what was to become a reputation for great European comebacks was born on that night on Merseyside, as three goals in five minutes in the second half remarkably turned the tie on its head.

Ray Kennedy, Jimmy Case and Kevin Keegan all found the net, the latter via a penalty, as the Reds roared back to win 3-2, with the trophy secured thanks to a 1-1 draw in Belgium three weeks later.

Liverpool 3 Saint-Etienne 1, 16th March 1977

The European Cup quarter-final of 1977 has long had a place in Liverpool folklore, and it is easy to see why.

The Reds were 1-0, down to French club Saint-Etienne from the first leg, only for Kevin Keegan to immediately cancel that advantage out.

However, a stunning goal from Dominique Bathenay meant that the Reds now had to score two to progress, something they achieved in the final half hour when Ray Kennedy and then substitute David Fairclough fired home, the latter doing so just six minutes from time to spark wild celebrations on the Kop.

Liverpool 3 Auxerre 0, 6th November 1991

The 1990s weren't a great period for Liverpool in comparison to others, but this success over Auxerre is one that plenty remember fondly even if there were just 23,094 people at Anfield to witness it.

Part of that apathy came from the fact that the Reds had been awful in a 2-0 first leg defeat in France, but hope sprung eternal when Jan Molby scored an early penalty.

Mike Marsh grabbed a second in the first half, and just when it looked as though the tie was headed for extra-time, winger Mark Walters popped up to complete the turnaround just seven minutes from time.

Liverpool 1 Barcelona 0, 19th April 2001

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Gerard Houllier's side had been criticised for negative tactics during a goalless draw in the first leg of the Uefa Cup semi-final in 2001, but they set the Reds up for this memorable evening when Barca were beaten at Anfield.

The visiting side featured the likes of Rivaldo, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars and Pep Guardiola, but they were frustrated by the hosts, whose winning goal came following a handball by a young Carles Puyol in the penalty area.

Veteran midfielder Gary McAllister stepped up to bury the penalty past a 19-year-old Barca keeper by the name of Pepe Reina, and Liverpool were off to the Uefa Cup final in Dortmund.

Liverpool 2 Roma 0, 19th March 2002

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Liverpool hadn't won a game in the second group phase of the Champions League in 2001-02, but four draws from five matches had given them a chance of making it through to the knockout stages.

To do that, though, they'd have to win by two clear goals against Fabio Capello's fearsome Roma side, who were regarded as the best in Serie A at the time. However, just before kick-off, the Anfield crowd were cheered by the return to the dugout of manager Gerard Houllier just five months after life-saving heart surgery.

There only seemed to be one way that the match would go now, and an early Jari Litmanen penalty was followed by a fine header from Emile Heskey to seal a terrific 2-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals.

Liverpool 3 Olympiakos 1, 8th December 2004

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At half-time of Liverpool's final Champions League group stage game of the 2004-05 season, it looked all over for the Reds.

They were a goal down to Olympiakos thanks to a free-kick from the legendary Rivaldo, and they required three strikes in the second half to fight back and qualify for the knockout stages.

Half-time substitute Florent Sinama-Pongolle scored within seconds of coming on to give the Reds a chance, and after incessant attacking from the home side it was another young substitute, Neil Mellor, who scored from close range to make it 2-1.

Liverpool still needed another goal, though, and so step forward captain Steven Gerrard, who blasted a stunning, spearing drive into the back of the net from the edge of the area with just four minutes to go to seal a remarkable comeback.

And we all know what happened next...

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0, 3rd May 2005

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Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus were then beaten in those knockout rounds, before the Reds held soon to be Premier League champions Chelsea to a goalless draw in the first leg of the semi-final. The scene was set for an epic night.

Anfield was full around an hour before kick-off, with home supporters roaring their team on to what they hoped would be a huge victory.

That victory took a step closer just four minutes in when Steven Gerrard's ball over the top found Milan Baros, the forward was clattered into by goalkeeper Petr Cech and Luis Garcia sent the loose ball goalwards. It was cleared from underneath the crossbar by William Gallas, but the officials decided that it crossed the line.

No conclusive proof has ever been given over whether or not the ball did actually cross that goalline, but Liverpool fans don't care. The goal stood, and the Reds held on to their advantage throughout a remarkable evening which plenty claim produced the greatest ever Anfield atmosphere.

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0, Liverpool Win 4-1 on Penalties, 1st May 2007

Two years later, the same competition, the same round and the same opponents.

Liverpool were 1-0 down to Chelsea this time after future Red Joe Cole scored a first leg goal at Stamford Bridge, but they levelled things up on aggregate when Daniel Agger fired home following a Steven Gerrard free-kick.

The clash went all the way to a penalty shootout where, as Rafael Benitez remained the calmest man in the stadium, Pepe Reina saved from Arjen Robben and Geremi to hand Liverpool the advantagee, with Bolo Zenden, Xabi Alonso, Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt all firing home to send the Reds to the final in Athens, again frustrating Chelsea in the process.

Liverpool 4 Arsenal 2, 4th April 2008

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A 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium in this Champions League quarter-final tie had set the tone for the second leg, but few could have expected such a classic.

A terrific Arsenal start produced a goal for Abou Diaby, but Sami Hyypia headed home a corner to equalise for the Reds.

Fernando Torres's fine turn and shot put Liverpool ahead for the first time in the tie with 22 minutes remaining, but then a stunning run from Theo Walcott led to Emmanuel Adebayor giving Arsenal the edge on away goals with just six minutes remaining.

The Gunners were still celebrating what they thought was a crucial goal, only for substitute Ryan Babel to immediately break into the box and be hauled down by current Reds defender Kolo Toure.

Steven Gerrard buried the resultant penalty, and then Babel powered away from Cesc Fabregas to seal a dramatic victory in stoppage time.

Liverpool 4 Real Madrid 0, 10th March 2009

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Yossi Benayoun's winner in the Bernabeu in the first leg of this second round tie had assumed vitally important status ahead of this second leg, but the manner in which Liverpool blew away Real Madrid in the second clash made it seem somewhat redundant.

Playing probably their best football of the Rafael Benitez era (Liverpool would go on to beat Manchester United 4-1 and Aston Villa 5-0 in their next two matches) the Reds were simply too good for the Spanish giants, who fell behind when former Atletico Madrid man Fernando Torres poked in a Dirk Kuyt cross after 15 minutes.

Two Steven Gerrard goals either side of half-time—the first a penalty and the second a great finish following Ryan Babel's cross, made it 3-0—before the scoring was wrapped up by the unlikely figure of Italian misfit Andrea Dossena three minutes from time.

"Liverpool 4 Real Madrid 0" was a scoreline which sent shockwaves around Europe, and it is remarkable to think that after they played Fiorentina in the Champions League nine months later, the Reds would not play another match in the competition for another five years.

Until this season, that is...