Liverpool will be forced to watch on from home as the Champions League quarter-finals get underway this week.
The Reds had been one of the favourites to win the competition this season, but ran into a brilliant PSG side in the last-16.
Had they managed to sneak through against the Ligue 1 title-winners, Liverpool would have fancied their chances over two legs against Aston Villa.
If, hypothetically, Liverpool had then progressed to the Champions League semi-finals, there’s a chance they would have faced Premier League title challengers Arsenal.
That would have been only the second time the two teams have met in Europe’s top competition in their respective histories.
As we approach the 17th anniversary of that fantastic and dramatic quarter-final in 2008, it’s well worth looking back on what was a crazy night at Anfield.
Liverpool and Arsenal played out Champions League thriller
Given their status as big boys of the Premier League, Arsenal’s record in Europe is extraordinarily poor.
The Gunners have only been to the quarter-finals of the Champions League once since 2008, and that was last season.
As for Liverpool, they have won the trophy once in the meantime, but have been to a further two finals. With six wins to Arsenal’s zero, they are the ones with pedigree on the continent.
As a result, they were always likely to get past the Gunners in the quarter-final meeting of 2007/08. After going behind to an Emmanuel Adebayor goal in the first-leg at the Emirates, a fast equaliser from Dirk Kuyt gave them the advantage heading back to Anfield.
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But Arsenal were not going down without a fight and started brilliantly on Merseyside, Abou Diaby firing an early goal past Pepe Reina. Liverpool came back through Sami Hyypia before a super Fernando Torres strike put them ahead in the tie for the first time in the second-half.
Then, chaos broke lose. Adebayor thought he’d swung it late on for Arsenal after an incredible mazy run from Theo Walcott. The away goals rule would have sent the Gunners into the last four. But that’s when the Ryan Babel show took over.
Ryan Babel steals the headlines
Up to that point, Babel had had a slightly difficult debut season since arriving from Ajax for £11.5m.
But after coming on as a second-half substitute, the Dutchman took it on himself to turn this game around and put Liverpool in the semi-finals.
First, Babel won a late penalty after being felled by Kolo Toure. Steven Gerrard duly stuck it away. Then, with Arsenal in search of a late goal which would put them though, the flying winger broke through to seal the game for the Reds.
“I remember it was a set-piece, everyone was back, they kicked it and I was like, who is it, ah Fabregas!” Babel told the SDS podcast in January 2025. “He still tried to pull my shirt but one against one and it was a goal.”
“There’s no catching Liverpool now!” bellowed Peter Drury on commentary. “Ryan Babel with the goal of his life and it is a classic European Anfield party night. Liverpool will play the semi-final and Arsenal’s thrilling challenge is blotted out.”
The Reds went on to play an equally enthralling semi-final with Chelsea, taking the Blues to extra-time at Stamford Bridge before eventually losing 4-3 on aggregate. In a quite extraordinary year for the Premier League in Europe, Man United then beat Chelsea in the final.
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