After Liverpool’s emphatic 5-2 first leg win at Anfield against Italians Roma, there was a real sense that Jürgen Klopp’s men had placed one foot in the door for the final in Kyiv come the end of May.
Not many pundits, fans or even club officials would have said that Liverpool could, realistically, reach the Champions League final this season. Yes, they had a promising attack and still maintained Philippe Coutinho until January, but their defence was leaking in goals left, right and centre. To have thought they would be 180 minutes away from lifting the trophy for the first time since 2005 under Rafa Benitez’s kinship would have been ludicrous.
And yet, Liverpool are on the verge of something truly spectacular. Through Mohamed Salah’s brilliance, Sadio Mané’s relentless energy and Roberto Firmino’s selflessness, along with a fantastic manager and team cohesion, the Reds are halfway to the Champions League final.
Recent Champions League Performances
The last English team to reach such a stage in European football was Chelsea, back in 2012, when Robert di Matteo took his team to Munich to face Bayern. Again, somewhat surprisingly, the Blues made it against all the odds and obstacles in their way. They went on to lift the Champions League and that was the last time an English club did so.
The intermittent years between 2012 and 2018 have been barren for English clubs. Less of the European celebrations and more of the keeping their heads above water. The lack of competitiveness in the Champions League has been worrying and their absence has been filled by the dominance of Spanish teams.
Even with the influx of money, English teams have failed to mark their stamp on continental football and have been left in the shadows. Manchester City were one of the outright favourites for the competition this season, but fell at the hands of Liverpool in a thrashing that was unforeseen. While the Reds are not