From Barcelona to Istanbul: Five of the best British Champions League victories

AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool (Liverpool win 3-2 on penalties)

May 25, 2005

In one of the greatest comebacks ever seen, Liverpool overturned a three goal half time deficit to sensationally capture their fifth Champions League trophy in a penalty shootout win over AC Milan.

The game got off to the worst possible start for Rafa Benitez's side as they fell behind in the opening 60 seconds of the match. Paolo Maldini volleyed home an inswinging Pirlo cross to give the Milan giants a dream start.

Liverpool's misery would further intensify in the 39th minute when Hernan Crespo doubled Milan's lead, popping up at the back post to convert a pass from Andriy Shevchenko.

Crespo would strike again just five minutes later, effortlessly lofting the ball over Jerzy Dudek from close range. I Rosoneri had a seemingly unassailable lead at half-time as Liverpool's capitulation continued.

With many Liverpool, AC Milan and neutral football fans convinced of the tie's outcome, one of the sport's greatest ever finals began to unravel before their very eyes.

Early in the second half, a captain's goal from Steven Gerrard - who looped a well-placed header past Dida - provided Bentiez's side with a small glimmer of hope.

Vladimir Smicer instilled further belief when he bagged Liverpool's second just two minutes after Gerrard. A 20-yard strike into the far left corner of the Milan goal enabled his side to dream of the impossible. 

No less than 180 seconds after Smicer's strike, Xabi Alonso was entrusted with the invaluable opportunity of levelling the tie from the penalty spot.

Despite his initial penalty being saved, the Spaniard reacted quickest to the rebound, powering home from close range.

In the wake of the heroics of Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso - it was an entirely different player who eventually solidifed Liverpool's emphatic comeback.

Chelsea 1-1 Bayern Munich (Chelsea win 4-3 on penalties)

May 19, 2012

After the agonising heartbreak of their defeat to Manchester United in 2008, Chelsea diminished their demons by defeating Bayern Munich in a tense penalty shootout. The win took place in Munich's Allianz Arena, cementing one of the greatest nights in Chelsea's history.

Chelsea had been praised for their defensive capabilities in their semi-final clash with Barcelona. This was reciprocated in the games first half, as they continually fought off intense pressure from the German outfit.

After a closely contested second half, the Blues were eventually undone when Thomas Muller powered home a header in the 82nd minute.

As the clock fiercely ticked down, everything appeared lost for Roberto Di Matteo's side. This was the case until a usual suspect rose to the challenge and snatched the most important equaliser in the club's 107 year history.

Breaking free from the Bayern defenders, Didier Drogba leapt high to head Juan Mata's corner beyond Manuel Neuer. His goal snatched a late equaliser for the West London outfit, to the delight of the away supporters. 

After a half hour stalemate drew to a close, a pivotal penalty shootout awaited the two teams. Given their shortcomings against Manchester United just for years earlier, Chelsea were wary of their former demons coming back to haunt them - but they never did.

After Iva Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger missed their respective spot kicks, Drogba emerged as the hero once again. The striker outwitted Neuer for the second time to seal Chelsea's first Champions League crown.

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Hamburg

May 28, 1980

Having already shrouded themselves in glory, Nottingham Forest emphatically retained their European Cup title under the guidance of legendary manager, Brian Clough, in one of the tournament's great underdog stories.

After dispatching the likes of Liverpool and Cologne en route to the tournament's final, Forest sent shockwaves through the world of football when they defeated Swedish outfit, Malmo FF. The 1-0 win in 1979 marked an illustrious milestone in the club's legacy.

Standing before Clough's men were a dangerous Hamburg side who had decimated Real Madrid in their semi-final showdown. Dir Rothosen overturned a 2-0 deficit from the first leg to beat Los Blancos 5-1 in Germany.

The loss of Trevor Francis had stacked the odds against Forest. The star striker had been lauded for his goalscoring form throughout the season but was unable to play in the final due to a ruptured achilles tendon suffered on the final day of the First Division season.

With only a squad of 15 and a host of notable absences, Clough's side were undeniably the underdogs. But, as they had proved just twelve months before, this meant absolutely nothing.

After John Robertson gave Forest the lead in the 20th minute, a series of stunning saves from Peter Shilton followed. 

In the wake of back-to-back European victories, Clough famously said: "You win something once and people say it's all down to luck, you win something twice and it shuts them up."

Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich

May 26, 1999

Stakes could not have been higher. Manchester United were on the brink of a historic treble and had an opportunity to win their first European Cup since 1968. Bayern Munich, on the other hand, had once again dominated Germany under Ottmar Hitzfeld and also craved a European honour. 

Much to the surprise of the Red Devils, Sir Alex Ferguson's side fell behind after just six minutes.

Mario Basler gave the Munich outfit an emphatic lead from the resulting free kick, curling a low-driven strike around the wall and into the goal.

Despite their tireless pursuit of a foothold in the match, Ferguson's side were unable to break down the well-organised Bayern defence for large spells of the match. Then, two 'super subs' changed the course of history.

After 85 minutes of frustration, they finally got their goal. Teddy Sheringham fired in from close range after a testing David Beckham corner into the Bayern box.

With just seconds of the tie to spare and the nerve-wracking prospect of extra time looming, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cemented himself in Manchester United folklore.

The Norwegian rifled in a Sheringham flick which came from another Beckham corner.

Celtic 2-1 Inter Milan

May 25, 1967

In 1967, a defining moment for British football saw Celtic come back from behind to defeat Inter Milan 2-1 to get their first taste of European success.

The Bhoys had breezed through the tournament's earlier stages, scoring eleven goals and conceding only two.

Tommy Gemmell drew the two sides level in the 63rd minute before Stevie Chalmers grabbed the all important winner in one of the biggest days in the history of British football.