2005 — Liverpool 3–3 AC Milan (Liverpool win on penalties)

The "Miracle of Istanbul" is universally regarded as the greatest Champions League Final ever played, outperforming #2 and #3 for pure drama. Liverpool trailed 3–0 at half-time against AC Milan, the best club side in Europe. In a stunning six-minute second-half blitz, Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer, and Xabi Alonso scored to make it 3–3. Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek saved Andriy Shevchenko's penalty in the shootout—performing his famous "spaghetti legs" dance—to give Liverpool their fifth European Cup. The match was watched by 20 million in the UK alone, a 50% higher viewership than the average final since 2000, and remains the defining night in Liverpool's modern history.