It’s been 17 years since Luis Garcia scored his famous ‘ghost goal’ against Chelsea and fans are still unsure if the ball crossed the line.
Garcia’s goal sent Liverpool to the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul, where they came from three goals down to beat AC Milan on penalties in one of the greatest games ever.
Liverpool could book their place in another Champions League final tonight if they beat Villarreal in the second leg of their semi-final tie, with Jurgen Klopp’s side holding a 2-0 first-leg lead at Anfield.
In 2005, Chelsea were Liverpool’s opponents in the quarter-finals of the competition.
The first leg at Stamford Bridge had ended in a goalless draw to leave the tie delicately set up for the second leg at Anfield.
And it came to life just four minutes after reversing on Merseyside.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard splintered a pass over the Chelsea defence, which striker Milan Baros tried to reach before Blues goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Baros managed to touch the ball before being brought down by Cech in front of Kop.
As the home fans called for a penalty and a red card, Garcia latched onto the loose ball and directed a shot towards goal that was deflected by Chelsea captain John Terry.
William Gallas raced towards the goal to make a desperate clearance down the line as Garcia walked away to celebrate.
After a few moments of confusion, Slovakian referee Lubos Michel signaled that the goal had been conceded, sparking a state of euphoria at Anfield.
Rafael Benítez’s side would go on to post a 1-0 aggregate victory to book their place in the final in Istanbul.
The goal remains highly controversial to this day, with Chelsea and Liverpool fans disagreeing over whether the ball crossed the line.
Chelsea’s manager that day, José Mourinho, called it the “ghost goal” after the match and insisted it should not have been given.
“It was a goal that came from the moon, from the Anfield stands,” Mourinho said at the time.
“I felt the power of Anfield, it was magnificent. I felt like it didn’t interfere with my players, but maybe it interfered with other people and maybe it interfered with the result.”
Mourinho doubled down on those claims in 2019, telling beIN Sports: “Anfield is a magical place to play, it’s a beautiful place to play.
They can even score goals that players don’t score, as happened in 2005.
“It wasn’t Garcia who scored the goal, it was the crowd that scored the goal, but now it’s not possible with VAR technology and the goal line.”
Should the goal have been given? Let us know the thoughts of him.