This season is the first time since 2016/17 that neither Chelsea nor Liverpool are in Europe’s top club tournament, but in the second half of the 2000s, meetings between the pair were a fixture of the Champions League. Originally tight affairs plotted by tactical titans José Mourinho and Rafael Benítez, things eventually loosened up, most memorably their 12-goal quarter-final in 2008/09.
Wily Guus Hiddink held the Blues’ reins by then and, at Anfield, the Dutch master pinned Michael Essien on Steven Gerrard to stifle the Reds. Hitherto unheralded defender Branislav Ivanović scored twice from corners to seal a 3-1 win for the Londoners. But the fireworks were far from over, because the second leg was the type of match that would short-circuit a PlayStation. The Kopites led their tense hosts 2-0 at half-time, before the home side made it 2-2 after the break. Then four goals in the last quarter of an hour resulted in a 4-4 draw to give Chelsea a 7-5 aggregate victory.
This season is the first time since 2016/17 that neither Chelsea nor Liverpool are in Europe’s top club tournament, but in the second half of the 2000s, meetings between the pair were a fixture of the Champions League. Originally tight affairs plotted by tactical titans José Mourinho and Rafael Benítez, things eventually loosened up, most memorably their 12-goal quarter-final in 2008/09.
Wily Guus Hiddink held the Blues’ reins by then and, at Anfield, the Dutch master pinned Michael Essien on Steven Gerrard to stifle the Reds. Hitherto unheralded defender Branislav Ivanović scored twice from corners to seal a 3-1 win for the Londoners. But the fireworks were far from over, because the second leg was the type of match that would short-circuit a PlayStation. The Kopites led their tense hosts 2-0 at half-time, before the home side made it 2-2 after the break. Then four goals in the last quarter of an hour resulted in a 4-4 draw to give Chelsea a 7-5 aggregate victory.
Chelsea’s clobber for this thrilling, turbulent tie was a slightly brighter royal blue than in previous seasons. It also featured the return of a yellow trim and a crisp white collar for the first time in almost a decade. A tint gave the outfit a shimmering 1990s finish, while the players’ names were written entirely in lower case – an unorthodox move that upset the grammar police. It’s another little-remembered fact that they debuted this strip in Moscow in the final of the previous season, which they lost to Manchester United on penalties.
Liverpool opted for a refreshingly plain, matte fabric which was something of a rarity for the era. The pleasingly constructed V-neck contained a chequered pattern on the inside which referenced the flags flown in the Kop and across Europe in the 1970s and 80s. An infrequent case of a modern strip only displaying two colours, the hefty helping of green on the famous crest immediately caught the eye.
This season is the first time since 2016/17 that neither Chelsea nor Liverpool are in Europe’s top club tournament, but in the second half of the 2000s, meetings between the pair were a fixture of the Champions League. Originally tight affairs plotted by tactical titans José Mourinho and Rafael Benítez, things eventually loosened up, most memorably their 12-goal quarter-final in 2008/09.
Wily Guus Hiddink held the Blues’ reins by then and, at Anfield, the Dutch master pinned Michael Essien on Steven Gerrard to stifle the Reds. Hitherto unheralded defender Branislav Ivanović scored twice from corners to seal a 3-1 win for the Londoners. But the fireworks were far from over, because the second leg was the type of match that would short-circuit a PlayStation. The Kopites led their tense hosts 2-0 at half-time, before the home side made it 2-2 after the break. Then four goals in the last quarter of an hour resulted in a 4-4 draw to give Chelsea a 7-5 aggregate victory.
This season is the first time since 2016/17 that neither Chelsea nor Liverpool are in Europe’s top club tournament, but in the second half of the 2000s, meetings between the pair were a fixture of the Champions League. Originally tight affairs plotted by tactical titans José Mourinho and Rafael Benítez, things eventually loosened up, most memorably their 12-goal quarter-final in 2008/09.
Wily Guus Hiddink held the Blues’ reins by then and, at Anfield, the Dutch master pinned Michael Essien on Steven Gerrard to stifle the Reds. Hitherto unheralded defender Branislav Ivanović scored twice from corners to seal a 3-1 win for the Londoners. But the fireworks were far from over, because the second leg was the type of match that would short-circuit a PlayStation. The Kopites led their tense hosts 2-0 at half-time, before the home side made it 2-2 after the break. Then four goals in the last quarter of an hour resulted in a 4-4 draw to give Chelsea a 7-5 aggregate victory.
This season is the first time since 2016/17 that neither Chelsea nor Liverpool are in Europe’s top club tournament, but in the second half of the 2000s, meetings between the pair were a fixture of the Champions League. Originally tight affairs plotted by tactical titans José Mourinho and Rafael Benítez, things eventually loosened up, most memorably their 12-goal quarter-final in 2008/09.
Wily Guus Hiddink held the Blues’ reins by then and, at Anfield, the Dutch master pinned Michael Essien on Steven Gerrard to stifle the Reds. Hitherto unheralded defender Branislav Ivanović scored twice from corners to seal a 3-1 win for the Londoners. But the fireworks were far from over, because the second leg was the type of match that would short-circuit a PlayStation. The Kopites led their tense hosts 2-0 at half-time, before the home side made it 2-2 after the break. Then four goals in the last quarter of an hour resulted in a 4-4 draw to give Chelsea a 7-5 aggregate victory.
Chelsea’s clobber for this thrilling, turbulent tie was a slightly brighter royal blue than in previous seasons. It also featured the return of a yellow trim and a crisp white collar for the first time in almost a decade. A tint gave the outfit a shimmering 1990s finish, while the players’ names were written entirely in lower case – an unorthodox move that upset the grammar police. It’s another little-remembered fact that they debuted this strip in Moscow in the final of the previous season, which they lost to Manchester United on penalties.
Liverpool opted for a refreshingly plain, matte fabric which was something of a rarity for the era. The pleasingly constructed V-neck contained a chequered pattern on the inside which referenced the flags flown in the Kop and across Europe in the 1970s and 80s. An infrequent case of a modern strip only displaying two colours, the hefty helping of green on the famous crest immediately caught the eye.
This season is the first time since 2016/17 that neither Chelsea nor Liverpool are in Europe’s top club tournament, but in the second half of the 2000s, meetings between the pair were a fixture of the Champions League. Originally tight affairs plotted by tactical titans José Mourinho and Rafael Benítez, things eventually loosened up, most memorably their 12-goal quarter-final in 2008/09.
Wily Guus Hiddink held the Blues’ reins by then and, at Anfield, the Dutch master pinned Michael Essien on Steven Gerrard to stifle the Reds. Hitherto unheralded defender Branislav Ivanović scored twice from corners to seal a 3-1 win for the Londoners. But the fireworks were far from over, because the second leg was the type of match that would short-circuit a PlayStation. The Kopites led their tense hosts 2-0 at half-time, before the home side made it 2-2 after the break. Then four goals in the last quarter of an hour resulted in a 4-4 draw to give Chelsea a 7-5 aggregate victory.
