Liverpool vs Barcelona: Rafa Benitez on why Istanbul remains Reds' biggest Champions League miracle

The former Reds manager guided them to their most famous win and, in his eyes at least, the greatest too

Amidst the understandable hyperbole surrounding their Champions League heroics in midweek, a notable voice was happy to lead the persuasive argument that the dismantling of Barcelona should still not find a place at the very summit when discussing Liverpool's pantheon of greatest nights in Europe.

"I think it was amazing," reflected Rafa Benitez, who knows a thing or two about high-profile comebacks, on the way Jurgen Klopp's side overturned a three-goal first-leg deficit to stun Lionel Messi and co as Anfield etched another drama-drenched evening into the collective memory bank.

The compliment, however, came with a caveat, and a significant one at that from the Spaniard. "I have to congratulate them on a great achievement, but Istanbul is another thing."

Readily admitting he runs the risk of sounding somewhat 'old' as he harked back to past glories, the 59-year-old pointed to a poll on the very same subject run by TV broadcasters Sky which came out in favour, albeit narrowly, of Liverpool's Champions League final victory over AC Milan, rather than the four-goal passion play with the late, unexpected corner-turning plot twist for anyone of Catalan persuasion.

It feels like a lifetime since that equally unforgettable evening in the Turkish capital when Benitez's team, seemingly doomed by a trio of expertly-crafted first-half goals from the Italians, emerged transformed to score three times in six minutes before ultimately claiming a fifth European title on penalties.

"I had someone visit me from Turkey recently, and they were still talking about Istanbul," added Benitez, who reported no fresh developments over his long-running contract saga at Newcastle. He added, with a smile: "My friend said they were still analysing the game a year after it'd taken place. And in any case, who won that poll on Sky?

"You had that second-half, with all the goals. We are talking about the final, and everything happening from half-time against AC Milan, the best team, miles away from anyone, with our fans singing at half-time and the Milan fans so happy. Then to go and score three goals in six minutes, with Jerzy Dudek's save and then to win it, on penalties. The emotion of it all. Better than that? come on."

Benitez suggested that victory for Klopp's side in next month's final against Tottenham would add further magnitude to their semi-final achievement, as they look to emulate the class of 2005 in a season which could yet yield an improbable double should their on-going slugfest with Manchester City for the Premier League title further add to one of the most dramatic weeks of football seen in this country when it reaches a climax on Sunday.

Anyone Liverpool supporter under the age of 20 would struggle to recall the frenetic Steven Gerrard-inspired comeback on that breathless night, the footage of which is hardly the grainy sepia-tinged newsreels of yesteryear. However, Benitez believes the rise of social media in the ensuing 14 years gives current-day feats an advantage in the way they can become so quickly cemented into the collective psyche as they are replayed thousands of time on Twitter and the like. He added: "The problem you have now, and you will feel it like me, is that we're getting older.

"The new generations they have these memories, they have the social media and social networks that we didn't have so much in the past.

If you score a goal in a training session now, everybody knows about it. Go back 15 years, 30 years, nobody knew about it. Ayoze Perez scored a great goal in a pre-season training session, and before you know it you have 40,000 likes or shares of the video. In the past, it'd be just your mum and dad who would get to know about it."