Eliminating United, Lovren´s late heroics v Dortmund – Liverpool´s route the Europa League final

It was an unremarkable season for Liverpool in the Premier League as they had to settle for eighth place.

Jurgen Klopp’s side crashed out of the FA Cup in the fourth round when they were beaten in a replay by West Ham, but came agonisingly close to lifting the League Cup as they lost on penalties to Manchester City in the final.

However, the Reds can still end 2015-16 on a huge high, as they bid for Europa League glory against double-defending holders Sevilla on Wednesday.

Here we take a look at how Liverpool reached Basle.

Group Stages

Liverpool made an unimpressive start to their Europa League campaign as they failed to win in their opening three fixtures, playing out 1-1 draws against Bordeaux, Sion and Rubin Kazan in Group B.

They then beat Rubin in Russia 1-0 on matchday four courtesy of a Jordon Ibe strike, before then defeating Bordeaux 2-1 at Anfield to seal their place in the last 32.

A goalless draw in Sion in December confirmed the Reds would progress as pool winners.
 

Round of 32 – Augsburg (1-0 agg)

A return to Germany awaited Klopp in the first knockout round, and Augsburg held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw in the first leg at the WWK Arena to set up an intriguing return.

Liverpool struggled to get going in an uneventful affair at Anfield, but James Milner kept his cool from the penalty spot after a bizarre handball from Dominik Kohr in the fifth minute.

Round of 16 – Manchester United (3-1 agg)

Liverpool were paired with arch-rivals Manchester United in the round of 16 in a tie that captured the imagination across Europe.

United went into the first meeting at Anfield having beaten Liverpool in each of their last four games, but Klopp’s side were outstanding and deservedly took a 2-0 lead back to Old Trafford thanks to a Daniel Sturridge penalty and a late second from Roberto Firmino.

Louis van Gaal’s team threatened a comeback in the second leg when Anthony Martial won and converted a spot-kick midway through the first half.

But Philippe Coutinho produced a moment of magic just before half-time to give Liverpool a precious away goal and their place in the quarter-finals.

Quarter-finals – Borussia Dortmund (5-4 agg)

This tie was all about Klopp, as he made an emotional and much-hyped return to Signal Iduna Park in the first leg.

Liverpool performed well at the home of the tournament favourites, and claimed a creditable 1-1 draw after Mats Hummels cancelled out Divock Origi’s well-taken opener.

However, it is the second leg at Anfield that provided a truly unforgettable night.

Liverpool looked to be dead and buried when Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in the opening 10 minutes, with Dortmund looking determined to blow their opponents and former boss away.

Origi pulled one back early in the second half, before Marco Reus punctured any optimism among the home fans by restoring Dortmund’s two-goal cushion just before the hour.

Liverpool needed three goals in the final half an hour to progress – and somehow, they got them.

Coutinho scored with 24 minutes left, before Mamadou Sakho made it 4-4 on aggregate in the 77th minute.

And bedlam ensued in injury time, when Dejan Lovren rose highest to plant a powerful header past Roman Weidenfeller to send Anfield into delirium.

Semi-finals – Villarreal (3-1 agg)

Liverpool were beaten for the first time in Europe this season when they visited Villarreal in the semi-final first leg, with Adrian Lopez scoring an injury-time winner to settle a low-key match at El Madrigal.

Villarreal’s players and coaching team celebrated wildly – something that irked Klopp, who warned them that Anfield would be a different story.

And so it proved, as the Reds turned on the style to destroy the Yellow Submarine 3-0.

Early Liverpool pressure told when Villarreal captain put through his own net in the seventh minute, before Sturridge grabbed the crucial second with an ice-cool finish in the 63rd minute.

Villarreal’s frustrations got the better of them and Victor Ruiz was sent off for a crude foul on Adam Lallana, before the England playmaker added Liverpool’s third of the game late on to complete their route to Basle.