The latest Liverpool news as the winger now works as a pundit but scored a memorable goal at Anfield during the Reds’ journey to Champions League success in 2005.
Former Liverpool winger Luis Garcia may have scored 30 goals for the Reds during his time at the club, but there is one significant one that he is remembered for and is still spoken about to this day. It was crucial to Liverpool’s Champions League success in 2005.
The Reds took on Chelsea in the semi-final of the competition with the second leg at Anfield. The first leg at Stamford Bridge ended in a 0-0 draw. But it took just a matter of minutes for Liverpool to take the lead, with what would ultimately be the winning goal from Garcia.
There is, however, still a debate if the ball had crossed the line – this was, of course, before the introduction of goal line technology, meaning it was down to the referee and his assistants to make the decision.
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Chelsea’s William Gallas attempted to clear the ball. But much to the delight of the Kop, the ball was adjudged to have gone in before the clearance was made.
Speaking to the Guardian back in 2014, Garcia said of the goal: “For me it was and the referee gave it so. If I am being honest, I remember the feeling of hitting the ball and when I saw the bounce going up I turned away and celebrated. I started doubting for a moment because for two seconds none of my team-mates were close and I started thinking: ‘Oh my goodness, maybe it wasn’t.’ But I turned round and saw the referee and the linesman running back into position and just started screaming.
“We can say: ‘If this’, ‘if that’. But the goal was given. If not it would have been a penalty and a red card, so we don’t know if it was better what happened or not.”
What Mourinho said
The decision left Jose Mourinho, who was in his first spell with Chelsea at the time, fuming. It seems that it’s a moment that still irks the manager.
When asked by TNT Sports back in the summer what football moment he still thinks about, he answered with: “Champions League semi-final loss with a goal that wasn’t a goal.”
That comment however sparked a response from Garcia himself. He took to social media and replied with: “It was in Jose, it did cross the line.”
Discussing the goal in 2023, Mourinho, then manager of Roma, said: “It’s the field that ultimately speaks, the only time I’ve seen a stadium score a goal was in the semi-final of the Champions League in 2005.
“Liverpool’s stadium scored a goal because the ball hadn’t gone in, but they made so much noise that they scored. The stadium helps, statistically the home team has more positive results than the visitors, but you have to play.”
Despite the disagreement on the subject, Garcia has revealed that there is a good relationship between him and Mourinho. Mourinho congratulated me at the end of the game, but I actually had a very good relationship with him,” he added. “I met him [when both were] at Barcelona, and after I spoke a few times when he was a manager in Portugal, before he went to Porto, about signing for him.”
