Liverpool regained their place in the highest echelons of the English game by beating Tottenham to lift the Champions League in Madrid on Saturday.
Having vowed to ‘knock Liverpool off their perch’ when he took over at Manchester United in 1986, Sir Alex Ferguson proceeded to do that by winning 26 major trophies over 27 years.
Yet the club’s sixth European Cup draws them level once more with the Old Trafford outfit on 42 major trophies as England’s most decorated side, and Sportsmail takes a look at the key statistics around Liverpool’s triumph.
Liverpool beat Tottenham to lift a 42nd major trophy and draw level with Manchester United
While Liverpool had made significant progress since Jurgen Klopp took over in October 2015, that first trophy under his management had proved elusive.
Since taking over, he had yet to taste glory while Manchester United lifted the 2016 FA Cup under Louis van Gaal, then in 2017 Jose Mourinho led them to a League Cup and Europa League double to stretch their lead as England’s most decorated side.
In Klopp’s first season he guided his side to the Europa League final, their first European showpiece occasion since 2007.
The game against Sevilla would end in a 3-1 defeat however, despite Daniel Sturridge’s opener.
Klopp’s first full season would see them reach the League Cup final on February 28 2016, but again they would be denied.
It took penalties for Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City to lift the trophy instead at Wembley, after Philippe Coutinho cancelled out Fernandinho’s opener.
While the 2016/2017 season would see no silverware, the club did seal a return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2014/2015 campaign.
That would set the stage for a thrilling run to the 2018 Champions League final, racking up wins over Porto, Roma and Manchester City.
However, Real Madrid in the final proved a step too far, with Karim Benzema and a Gareth Bale double – that wondrous first and fortunate second – sealing a third straight trophy for the Spaniards despite Sadio Mane’s first-half leveller.
It took only one more year for Klopp to finally break his duck and bring home the trophy that finally sent Liverpool back to their perch.
Heartbreak for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool in the 2018 final set the stage for 2019
A key part of Liverpool’s success both domestically and in Europe has been centre-back Virgil van Dijk, in his first full season on Merseyside.
While his £75million fee from Southampton in January 2018 appeared large, he has paid it off already with his displays.
No player has dribbled past the Dutchman in any of his 64 games this season, with the last player to do so being Newcastle’s Mikel Merino in March 2018.
Van Dijk has also helped Liverpool record the joint-most clean sheets in the Champions League this season with six, alongside Barcelona.
Virgil van Dijk has proved inspirational for Liverpool on their run to European glory
While Saturday brought Liverpool that long-awaited 42nd trophy, it also ended a 14-year wait for success in Europe.
Their last taste of success on the continent came with that stunning, superlative comeback win over AC Milan in Istanbul on May 25, 2005.
Having fallen behind to Paolo Maldini’s volley after 50 seconds, Hernan Crespo’s quick-fire double before half-time appeared to put the nail in the coffin of Liverpool’s hopes.
Yet first Steven Gerrard, then Vladimir Smicer then Xabi Alonso – turning home his own missed penalty – would turn the tie around in six startling minutes.
The remaining 30 minutes of normal time and the 30 more of extra-time would pass without a decider, leaving it to Jerzy Dudek to attain hero status by saving Andriy Shevchenko’s penalty to win the shoot-out.
Finally, 14 years on, the club have clinched a sixth European Cup, moving them clear of Barcelona and Bayern Munich and second in the all-time rankings.
Their rivals from 2005 – and victors when they met again in 2007 – remain in second with seven, while Real Madrid’s recent run of three cups in three years leave them well ahead of the field on 13.
Liverpool have finally added a sixth European Cup 14 years after their last in Istanbul
While the likes of van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have driven this Liverpool side on, their European success has also been down to an unlikely hero.
Divock Origi, thrown into Liverpool’s semi-final second leg against Barcelona due to injury problems with his side 3-0 down aggregate, had not even registered a shot in the competition by that point in the season.
Now, two games later, he has three goals and a Champions League winners medal.
Divock Origi made a decisive impact during Liverpool’s unlikely run to European glory
There was one category that was always going to improve regardless of last night’s victor.
Whether Tottenham or Liverpool lifted the trophy, it would make England the second-most successful country in European Cup history.
They move clear of Italy, who have 12 but no victor since Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in 2010.
Thanks largely to the recent dominance of Real Madrid – with four wins in five years – and Barcelona in the competition over the past decade, Spain remain the competition’s most successful country with 18 wins.