Olympiakos v Manchester United: Champions League – live! | Jacob Steinberg
Liverpool fans, I come in peace. I mean you no harm. But just consider the following scenario: it's the end of the Premier League season, it's May, the sun is out, everyone's smiling and Liverpool, with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge leading the way, have finished fourth. After a five-year absence, they're back in the Champions League. Liverpool are back. The glory days are back, baby! Hooray! Hooray for Brendan Rodgers! Hooray for Liverpool! Hooray for life! Hooray! Hooray, hooray, hooray! But wait. Wait. Hold your horses there. Hang on just a minute – there's still some top-level football to be played, namely the Champions League final. And, yes, Manchester United, embracing the 70s/80s vibe, might have dulled their way to a hilarious 13th place, finishing 27 points behind Liverpool. But they're not done yet. Somehow they've bungled their way into the final, where they face Real Madrid. They've already seen off Olympiakos, Barcelona and Bayern Munich and now Moyes Boyz are one step from greatness. They're 3-0 down at half-time to a Gareth Bale hat-trick. All hope is lost – until the 60th minute, by which time they're level thanks to a Marouane Fellaini hat-trick. Madrid pound them, hitting the woodwork several times and missing seven penalties. Then Cristiano Ronaldo scores a last-minute own goal and United are European champions! They're still in the Champions League! Hooray! Hooray for Manchester United! Hooray for inspirational manager David Moyes! Written off by all and sundry but he got there in the end. Meanwhile Liverpool are sent schadenfreudianslipping into the Europa League. Suarez leaves. Rodgers resigns in disgrace and Roy Hodgson returns as manager, instantly replacing Suarez with Andy Johnson. Ridiculously far-fetched, you say? Probably. But as far-fetched as Djimi Traore owning a Champions League medal? Or Jose Bosingwa owning one? Exactly. United might be a mess under Moyes but the nature of cup competitions means that it is not always the best team that ends up drinking champagne out of the trophy – unlike in the league, where the best side tends to win. While it's impossible to fluke your way to winning the Champions League, the margins are so fine over the course of two legs that luck is a factor and sides will find themselves hostages to fortune. Liverpool's win in 2025 was a triumph of never-say-die spirit and Rafael Benitez's organisational skills but it was also a perfect storm. Events elsewhere meant they did not have to play Europe's best side, Barcelona, for instance and they were one Eidur Gudjohnsen miss away in the 142nd minute of the semi-final against Chelsea from going out. Bayern should have been out of sight by the time United won it
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