Remembering Liverpool’s Best Champions League Group Stage Games
The draw for the 2026/27 group phase of the Champions League has been made, with Liverpool learning which seven opponents stand between them and the knockout round.
UEFA will continue with their extended format of the Champions League, so the Reds will be looking to finish inside the top eight of the league table – that secures a seeding and automatic passage through to the Round of 16.
Standing in the way of Andoni Iraola’s men are Atletico Madrid, FC Porto, Lens and Villarreal, who will be the visitors to Anfield.
And Liverpool fans can look forward to some fun away days as well, with an intriguing set of fixtures on the road:
- Club Brugge
- Fenerbahce
- Inter Milan
- LASK
It’s a fixture list that Iraola will be hoping to get plenty of points from… enough to secure a top eight finish, which is the minimum expectation.
Of course, there’s also the possibility of a consolation prize: finishing between ninth and 24th in the league table will take the Reds through to the play-off round.
When we think about Liverpool’s best nights in the Champions League, it’s the finals in 2005 and 2019 that often first spring to mind – as well as the quartet of European Cup finals from 1977 through to 1984, for those of a certain vintage.
But the Reds have been involved in plenty of hugely entertaining or noteworthy Champions League group games as well, so let’s shine a light on some of the most memorable over the years.
Liverpool 3-1 Olympiacos (2004)
| Liverpool | Score | Olympiacos |
|---|---|---|
| – | 0-1 | Rivaldo 27′ |
| Florent Sinama-Pongolle 47′ | 1-1 | – |
| Neil Mellor 81′ | 2-1 | – |
| Steven Gerrard 86′ | 3-1 | – |
The Reds’ 3-1 win over Olympiacos in the final round of group games in 2004/05 proves that you don’t need the all-or-nothingness of the knockout phase to create great drama.
And, it often gets forgotten, without the contributions of the now-forgotten Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama-Pongolle on this fateful night at Anfield, Liverpool wouldn’t have lifted the iconic Champions League trophy in 2005.
The set-up was perfect for a huge European night on Merseyside: the Reds needed to win by two clear goals to reach the last 16.
And that became three when the majestic Brazilian, Rivaldo, powered home a free kick to put the Greek side ahead.
Cometh the hour, cometh the unlikeliest of heroes. Rafa Benitez summoned Sinama-Pongolle and Mellor from the bench and both would play a key role in one of the most remarkable comebacks in Liverpool’s history.
The Frenchman equalised before Mellor put the Reds ahead, but they still needed that third goal in order to win by the necessary two-goal margin.
A ball was pumped forward to Mellor, who nodded the ball to that man Steven Gerrard… his sensational volley sending the Anfield faithful into raptures.
That was a miraculous night in itself, but was soon eclipsed that incredible evening in Istanbul for the final.
Liverpool 1-0 Napoli (2018)
| Liverpool | Score | Napoli |
|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Salah 34′ | 1-0 | – |
Anfield has played host to some fantastic all-or-nothing games over the years, with this 2018 banger against Napoli right up there with the best of them.
The stakes were straightforward enough: win and leapfrog the Italians into second place in the group, qualifying for the knockout phase.
Anything but a victory wouldn’t have sufficed….
In a game packed with incident, Liverpool did just as they had against Olympiacos 14 years earlier – securing a crucial win that would keep their Champions League hopes alive… hopes that would end with the trophy being hoisted a few months later.
Mo Salah was the difference maker, notching the all-important goal in a tremendous team performance; but it was a last ditch save from Alisson to keep Arkadiusz Milik at bay that proved to be just as definitive.
AC Milan 1-2 Liverpool (2021)
| AC Milan | Score | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Fikayo Tomori 28′ | 1-0 | – |
| – | 1-1 | Mohamed Salah 36′ |
| – | 1-2 | Divock Origi 55′ |
History was made when Liverpool beat AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro in December 2021.
It meant that the Reds had won all six of their Champions League group games, becoming the first English team – and only the eighth of any nationality – to earn a 100% record in the group phase of the reimagined competition.
Goals from Salah and Divock Origi – no stranger to an important strike – were enough to return home from Milan with that perfect run intact.
Liverpool 8-0 Besiktas (2007)
| Liverpool | Score | Besiktas |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Crouch 19′ | 1-0 | – |
| Yossi Benayoun 32′ | 2-0 | – |
| Yossi Benayoun 53′ | 3-0 | – |
| Yossi Benayoun 56′ | 4-0 | – |
| Steven Gerrard 69′ | 5-0 | – |
| Ryan Babel 78′ | 6-0 | – |
| Ryan Babel 81′ | 7-0 | – |
| Peter Crouch 89′ | 8-0 | – |
And how about another slice of history to finish off?
Nobody has ever won a Champions League game by a better margin than 8-0; a feat achieved by Liverpool back in 2007.
Besiktas were the victims, with Yossi Benayoun’s hat-trick and a brace each for Peter Crouch and Ryan Babel doing the bulk of the damage.
Real Madrid would beat Malmo 8-0 in 2015, drawing level with the Reds with the widest margin of victory in Champions League history.
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