Liverpool’s past UEFA Cup wins

Liverpool take on Sevilla in the Europa League final on Wednesday night looking to join the Spaniards on four wins in Europe’s second-tier competition.

Jurgen Klopp’s side travel to Basel having won the competition on three previous occasions – in 1973, 1976 and 2001 – when it was in its former guise of the UEFA Cup.

In fact, the 1973 triumph was the first of the club’s eight major European titles and victory against Sevilla at St Jakob-Park this week will make the Reds the joint-most successful team in the history of the competition.

Ahead of the contest with Unai Emery’s holders, we take a trip down memory lane to recall the Merseysiders’ three previous UEFA Cup triumphs…

1972/73

First round: Eintracht Frankfurt: 2-0 (h) and 0-0 (a)

Second round: AEK Athens: 3-0 (h) and 3-1 (a)

Third round: Berliner FC Dynamo: 0-0 (a) and 3-1 (h)

Quarter-finals: Dynamo Dresden: 2-0 (a) and 1-0 (h)

Semi-finals: Tottenham Hotspur: 1-0 (h) and 1-2 (a)

Final: Borussia Monchengladbach: 3-0 (h) and 0-2 (a)

Liverpool, who had qualified for Europe’s second-tier competition on the back of a third-place finish in the league the previous campaign, enjoyed a comfortable passage through to the final.

The Reds, who would go on to win that season’s First Division title, breezed past opponents from both West and East Germany, as well as Greece, before facing a far tougher challenge in the semi-finals against the holders Tottenham Hotspur.

Bill Shankly’s side won a tight first leg at Anfield thanks to full-back Alec Lindsay’s first-half strike, before making it through to the final on the away-goals rule. Winger Steve Heighway scored the crucial goal for the Reds in the return leg at White Hart Lane either side of a Martin Peters brace as Liverpool won the Battle of Britain.

That set up a final showdown with Borussia Monchengladbach, with the first leg at Anfield having to be abandoned after just 27 minutes due to torrential rain with the scoreline still goalless.

The game was replayed the following day, with Liverpool racing into a 2-0 lead after only 33 minutes thanks to Kevin Keegan’s double, although it could have been even better for the Merseysiders had the England striker not also seen his 25th-minute penalty saved.

However, that miss was soon forgotten when defender Larry Lloyd headed in Keegan’s corner on the hour-mark to seemingly put the home side out of sight, but they were more than grateful to goalkeeper Ray Clemence for keeping out Jupp Heynckes’ spot-kick 25 minutes from time.

That save was ultimately to prove crucial as the Bundesliga side won the second leg 2-0 at the Bokelbergstadion a fortnight later thanks to two Heynckes goals before the break, meaning Liverpool held on for a 3-2 aggregate …

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