English Premier League (EPL) giants Liverpool have appeared in nine European finals — 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1985, 2005, 2007, 2018 and 2019. The side, who won their last UEFA Champions League in 2019 after defeating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0, are the perfect example of English football's recent dominance in Europe, given that they have reached three of the last six matches.
The 2021-22 final will be their tenth European final. Since Jurgen Klopp arrived in 2015-16, the German coach has guided the club to three Champions League finals. Liverpool have won Europe’s premier competition on six occasions. Their first title arrived in 1977, and just a year later in 1978, the Reds had the second trophy in their grasp.
In the 1980s, Liverpool won European silverware in 1981 and 1984. Over two decades later, in 2005, Rafa Benitez led the Reds to a famous Istanbul comeback against AC Milan. The final in 2005 is considered by many as the greatest UCL final in the competition's history and is also called ‘The Miracle of Istanbul’. The Reds came back from three goals down to take the match into penalties and secure a big win over the favourites.
Number six came when Klopp’s side beat fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in 2019 final in Madrid.
Only Real Madrid (13), who can still win this year’s competition, and AC Milan (7) have won it on more occasions than Liverpool. German giants Bayern Munich have also won Europe’s most coveted trophy six times. Barcelona are next on the list of title winners and have won it five times.
Let's have a look at the list of opponents who Liverpool beat in previous outings:
1976–77 ENG Liverpool 3–1 GER Borussia Mönchengladbach Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
1977–78 ENG Liverpool 1–0 BEL Club Brugge Wembley Stadium, London, England
1980–81 ENG Liverpool 1–0 ESP Real Madrid Parc des Princes, Paris, France
1983–84 ENG Liverpool 1–1*[a] ITA Roma Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
2004–05 ENG Liverpool 3–3*[h] ITA Milan Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey
2018–19 ENG Liverpool 2–0 ENG Tottenham Hotspur Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain
