Tottenham’s stunning comeback against Ajax on Wednesday set up a Champions League final against Liverpool, who also staged a remarkable fightback to eliminate Barcelona on Tuesday.
Here, Press Association Sport looks at five memorable ties between English clubs in the competition ahead of the June 1 showdown in Madrid.
Chelsea v Liverpool 2004-05 (Liverpool won 1-0 on aggregate)
Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea were paired against Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool in the semi-finals to guarantee an English team would be in Istanbul for the final. After a goalless first leg at Stamford Bridge, it all came down to the return match at Anfield – one that still rankles with Chelsea fans. Luis Garcia’s fourth-minute goal decided the contest, but it was shrouded in controversy as replays showed William Gallas cleared the ball before it crossed the line. The goal stood and Liverpool went on to beat AC Milan in a thrilling final.
Man Utd v Chelsea 2007-08 (Man Utd won on penalties)
Sir Alex Ferguson lifted a second Champions League crown, nine years after his first, as Manchester United turned Moscow red in the final against Chelsea. Cristiano Ronaldo headed United in front, only for Frank Lampard to draw Avram Grant’s Chelsea level before the break. There were no other goals and the game was decided on penalties. The shoot-out will be remembered for John Terry’s slip, when a goal would have won it for Chelsea, but it was Edwin Van Der Sar’s save from Nicolas Anelka that proved decisive.
Chelsea v Liverpool 2008-09 (Chelsea won 7-5 on aggregate)
Guus Hiddink’s side won the away leg of the quarter-final 3-1 – but Liverpool gave them an almighty scare at Stamford Bridge, surging into a two-goal lead at half-time. Didier Drogba, Alex and Frank Lampard bagged in the second half to put Chelsea back in control before a frantic final 10 minutes. Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt struck in the space of two minutes to leave Liverpool needing just one more goal to seal a sensational win, only for Lampard to make the game safe in the 89th minute.
Liverpool v Man City 2017-18 (Liverpool won 5-1 on aggregate)
Manchester City were on their way to a record-breaking Premier League title and were favourites to progress in this quarter-final tie, but Liverpool had other ideas and blew them away in the first leg at Anfield. After City’s coach was attacked on the way into the ground, goals from Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane put the Reds 3-0 up after only 31 minutes to put one foot in the semi-finals. City were unable to rescue the game in their own backyard, despite an early goal from Gabriel Jesus, as efforts from Salah and Roberto Firmino gave Jurgen Klopp’s side a win on the night and a 5-1 aggregate success.
Manchester City v Tottenham 2018-19 (Tottenham won on away goals after 4-4 aggregate draw)
Son Heung-min’s late goal gave Tottenham a 1-0 advantage heading into the quarter-final second leg at the Etihad Stadium, which proved to be one of the most incredible Champions League matches of all time. Raheem Sterling opened the scoring before Son’s quickfire double seemingly gave Spurs control. However, Bernardo Silva’s deflected strike and a second from Sterling made it 3-2 to City on the night after just 21 minutes. Sergio Aguero then fired home on the hour mark to put City 4-3 in front on aggregate, before Fernando Llorente bundled the ball in – not via his arm according to a review by VAR – to make it 4-3 on the night and swing the pendulum back Tottenham’s way once more. There was even more drama to come when City thought they had found a winner in added time, only for Sterling’s hat-trick goal to be chalked off by VAR for offside.
