It’s rightfully regarded as a vintage season at Anfield: one that brought the Reds their first modern Champions League title.

In truth, though, things were far from plain sailing. Liverpool’s European jaunt got off to a shaky start when they lost 1- 0 at home to Graz in the second leg of their qualifier, edging through having won 2- 0 in the first leg.

A seesaw campaign had already begun with local hero Michael Owen being snared as Real Madrid’s latest Galactico, and manager Rafa Benitez bringing in peroxide prince Djibril Cisse from Auxerre as his replacement. A new- look Reds side – also featuring Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia – suffered three losses in their opening seven Premier League games, however, and never found consistency during their season.

By the time of their win- or- bust Champions League tie against Olympiacos on December 8, Liverpool were wobbling. Already 14 points off the title pace after dropping points against Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Blackburn and more, Liverpool needed a lift from elsewhere.

Rivaldo’s 26th- minute opener at Anfield didn’t bode well... but then came an almighty fightback. Requiring three goals to go through, the Merseysiders got them via Florent Sinama Pongolle, Neil Mellor and Steven Gerrard; the latter famously lashing home in front of the Kop with four minutes remaining.

True to form, Benitez’s bunch were beaten by Burnley in the FA Cup third round ( p40), but reached the League Cup final, losing 3- 2 after extra time to Chelsea. Such wild fluctuation set the tone: in mid- February, a second defeat to Birmingham and another draw with Blackburn were followed by home- and- away wins over Bayer Leverkusen. Four days after a 2- 1 victory over Juventus, they lost 1- 0 at Manchester City.

Before the Champions League semi- final first leg at Chelsea, the teams were separated by 34 points in the league table. By then, though, it seemed to matter little: Liverpool in Europe were a very different beast, if only in fortune. After a 0- 0 draw at Stamford Bridge, Garcia’s ‘ ghost goal’ settled a nail- biting second leg at Anfield, where the Reds managed to hold onto their threadbare lead against Jose Mourinho’s already- crowned champions.

Liverpool finished their domestic campaign with a mere two wins in seven. But then came the Champions League final against Milan.

“Just talking in English at half- time was quite difficult for me back then,” Benitez admitted to last year. “When it was 2- 0 approaching half- time I was making all my notes in English, thinking, ‘ We’re 2- 0 down – what am I going to say?’ Then we conceded the third goal and I thought, ‘ OK, that’s even worse...’”

But you know the rest. Liverpool came fifth in the Premier League – level with Bolton – and forced UEFA to redraw their Champions League plans for 2005- 06 to include them. Then Reds fans had a lie down.

Stevie G ponders which Reds side will actually turn up