Now some 25 points short of the Premier League top spot, Liverpool set their attention to the Champions League in hopes of returning to that night in Istanbul.
Looking back over the last few seasons, you'd think it would be a joke to say Liverpool were falling so short in their maiden Premier League title defence — yet here we are.
Stunned by a string of season-ending injuries to the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, Klopp's once-innovative strategies make the team predictable and at times hard to watch.
But as ever, Champions League glory is proving to be a beacon of hope over Merseyside, with Salah and crew looking much more up for the challenge of Europe.
Read on as we explore whether Liverpool can save their season by winning the Champions League in spite of the odds saying otherwise.
What sports betting sites make of Liverpool's odds
With Istanbul hosting this year's champions league final, the stage is set for Liverpool to beat the odds just as they did in 2005, but before we get excited over a fantasy, let's ground ourselves in reality and take a look to see what the experts think of Liverpool's chances.For the purpose of this article, we've sourced the latest Champions League betting odds from Mr Green — a well-reviewed casino site respected amongst football fans for its wide-ranging sports betting options.
Here is what Mr Green has to say about the Champions League picture:
- Manchester City: 5/2
- Bayern München: 3/1
- Paris Saint Germain: 11/2
- Liverpool: 6/1
Though favoured above the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid, the once-dominant Merseyside force are by no means among the bookies' favourites to win it all.
For Klopp's boys to paint Europe red for the seventh time, they have to beat the odds along with a handful of this continent's most lauded teams: the ever-present Bayern München, Pep's masterful Manchester City, and a transcendent Paris Saint Germain.
But with that being said, it's not as if it is the first time Liverpool have saved their season by overcoming the odds in Europe...
What we think of Liverpool's chances
After cruising through the group stages and conjuring up two disciplined performances against RB Leipzig in the round of 16, Liverpool head into the quarter-finals in fine fettle despite their woeful Premier League form.For Liverpool, this season shares many parallels to 2005 when Steven Gerrard lifted the Champions League trophy in Istanbul after orchestrating the most miraculous comeback against a vastly superior AC Milan.
They're enduring a forgettable domestic season, clawing at the top four spots just like the fifth-place finish 16 years ago — and a star player, in the form of Mohamed Salah, is embroiled in transfer rumours, not dissimilar from the hysteria around Gerrard's reported departure from Anfield that same season.
Is all this circumstantial? Almost certainly. But that takes little away from Liverpool's European record. When all else is set against them, they always seem to have the Champions League to fall back on, like a warm blanket unmarred by elusive domestic glory.
Just as unsurprising it would be for Liverpool's Premier League woes to continue, equally, you wouldn't be shocked to see Jordan Henderson jogging on the spot as he raises the Champions League trophy above his head once again.
But the difference this year is we're seeing a Liverpool side hungover from success, lacking chemistry on the pitch, and desperate to be spurred on by a stadium of chanting fans that in all likelihood will never come.
For this sluggish Liverpool to save their season, return to Istanbul, and win the Champions League, they need to find something to draw inspiration from — and fast.
