Kop, Klopp on top: Dileep Premachandran column

No matter how the rest of Jurgen Klopps tenure as Liverpool coach goes he will always have this night to look back on Anfield first experienced a European atmosphere like this more than 50 years ago a 31 victory against mighty Internazionale of Milan and this unforgettable triumph against Borussia Dortmund is destined to be part of a kaleidoscope that includes matches against St Etienne Olympiakos and ChelseaBoss amp his man Liverpools manager Jurgen Klopp right with England striker Daniel Sturridge PicAFPSpiegel Online certainly seemed to think the venue had a part to play in Liverpool coming from 20 and then 31 down to win 43 The legendary stadium on Anfield Road doesnt count among the most hallowed places of the football faith community without reason it said On this memorable night everybody sensed what a mighty spell could arise hereFor those oldtimers on the Kop especially those the wrong side of 50 the parallels with St Etienne were many It was Bob Paisleys first European Cup campaign as manager and the elegant French side mdash losing finalists to Bayern Munich in 1976 ndash held a 10 lead when they came to Anfield in March 1977 for the second leg of the quarterfinalKevin Keegans speculative cross had given Liverpool parity in the first half but when Dominique Bathenay struck with a magnificent leftfooter from 30 yards in the 51st minute Liverpool knew that they faced an Everestlike climb against a team that had won four leagueandcup doubles in France in the previous nine seasonsRay Kennedy swept home seven minutes later after John Toshack mdash the giant Welshman who dovetailed so beautifully with Keegan mdash had cushioned the ball down with his thigh As things stood St Etienne would go through on the awaygoals rulePaisley perfectIn the 72nd minute Paisley took Toshack off and introduced the 20yearold David Fairclough It took the man who would forever be known as Supersub 12 minutes to make his mark Kennedy on the left side of midfield flicked a pass over the back line for Fairclough to chase He outpaced two defenders took the ball into the box and slid it past the keeper The roar from the Kop could be heard miles awayLiverpool went on to beat Borussia Moumlnchengladbach in the final and Paisley would retire in 1983 with three European Cups to his name the first manager to accomplish such a feat When Rafael Benitez arrived in Liverpool in the summer of 2004 it had been exactly 20 years since the club last won the European Cup And when Olympiakos came to Anfield in December the task in front of Liverpool was clearcut mdash they had to win by a margin of two goals to progress out of the group stageIt seemed to be Mission Impossible when Rivaldo sneaked a free kick through the wall in the first half but Florent Sinama Pongolle equalised early in the second half after Benitez had sent him on in place of Djimi Traore a defender As the minutes ticked down and the crowd grew restive the Greek defence remained resolute In the 78th minute Milan Baros the Czech striker who had enjoyed such a fruitful Euro 2004 was withdrawn in favour of Neil Mellor Two minutes later he bundled one in from inside the sixyard boxWith four minutes left Jamie Carragher crossed from the left Mellor nodded down and Steven Gerrard lashed in from five yards outside the box You beauty screamed Andy Gray a former Everton star on commentary What a hit son what a hitFive months later Liverpool would have the Miracle of Istanbul the comeback to eclipse all others against Carlo Ancelottis AC Milan On Thursday night against a Dortmund team that hadnt lost in 2016 Klopp waited till the 62nd minute before taking off Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana and bringing on Daniel Sturridge and Joe Allen Allen gave them more control in midfield and Sturridge proved one more distraction for a defence that struggled with the pace and power of Divock OrigiDefenders deliverPhilippe Coutinhos daisycutter four minutes later made it 23 and it was two defenders who have endured plenty of criticism over the last couple of seasons mdash Mamadou Sakho and Dejan Lovren mdash that then got Liverpool over the line in the most frenetic of finishes It was strange like we stopped trusting ourselves said Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel We no longer dared to attack we were concentrating on defending and every supporter in the ground seemed to know there would be a lucky punch right at the end It was as if it was meant to beGerman tabloid Bild went a step further Football was invented for nights like these it said With the last kick of the game Liverpool wrestled down Dortmund in a wonderful thriller There may never be another match like this Klopp after his PaisleyBenitez moment will hope thats not trueDileep Premachandran is Wisden Indias editorinchief