Ranking our 10 favourite Champions League comebacks ever after Man Utd 3-2 Roma

Manchester United’s thrilling 3-2 win over Roma was the kind of comeback to be spoken about for years – but it doesn’t quite make our top 10 in Champions League history.

United were two goals down at half-time, before a stirring second-half performance that probably saved Michael Carrick’s job for another week or two.

We’ve ranked our 10 favourite Champions League comebacks of all time, starting in Catalonia with pre-Abramovich Chelsea beginning to pinch themselves…

10. Barcelona vs. Chelsea (2000)

Finishing 3rd in the Premier League in 1999 was a big deal for Chelsea, who’d only won a single league title in the 1950s.

Getting to the Champions League quarter-finals and beating Barcelona 3-1 in the first leg was dreamland territory.

But Barca were stacked at the turn of the millennium, with Ballon d’Or winner Rivaldo and pre-pig head Luis Figo running the show.

Both Rivaldo and Figo scored at Camp Nou, before Tore Andre Flo pulled one back to edge Chelsea towards the semis.

They almost made it too. There were just eight minutes remaining when Dani took the game to extra-time, before Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert made it 5-1.

Chelsea would have their revenge 12 years later, but this was a humbling night.

9. Monaco vs. Real Madrid (2004)

Early 2004 was peak Galactico Madrid, just before it all fell apart.

Figo, Ronaldo, Zidane, Beckham and Raul all featured in their 4-2 quarter-final win over Monaco, a surely unassailable lead to take into the second leg.

But assembling all those Galacticos meant several talented players became collateral damage, including Fernando Morientes. Madrid had loaned him to Monaco for the 2003-04 season, unaware of the potential narrative ramifications.

His goal, alongside two from the wonderful Ludovic Giuly, ensured the Ligue 1 side won the second leg 3-1 and progressed on away goals.

Real Madrid wouldn’t make another Champions League quarter-final for seven years.

8. Chelsea vs. Napoli (2012)

Some might call Chelsea’s run to Champions League glory in 2012 the spawniest of all time, but it was really the culmination of years of grit and sheer bloody-mindedness.

The kind of bloody-mindedness that chewed up and spat out Andre Villas-Boas, the young manager unequipped to lead a dressing room containing John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.

One of Villas-Boas’ last matches was a 3-1 defeat at Napoli, seemingly kiboshing their Champions League hopes.

But Roberto Di Matteo took interim charge of the return leg and the players took it upon themselves to save their season.

Drogba, Terry and Lampard all scored to take the tie to extra time at Stamford Bridge, before Branislav Ivanovic’s dramatic winner sent Chelsea through.

7. Liverpool vs. Barcelona (2019)

If Ousmane Dembele had scored an easy chance at the end of the first leg, Barcelona would’ve taken a four-goal lead to Anfield.

Instead, it was only 3-0 and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool smelt blood. Divock Origi began the comeback inside seven minutes, before Andy Robertson ruffled Messi’s head.

Georginio Wijnaldum scored a quickfire double to turn the game into one of *those* nights, before a corner was taken quickly, or something.

Oh, Ousmane.

6. Tottenham vs. Ajax (2019)

Surely the greatest night in Tottenham Hotspur’s recent history – even winning the Europa League couldn’t have provided a rush quite like this.

Especially as the situation looked so unpromising. Ajax had cut a swathe through the Champions League that year, won the first leg in London 1-0 and scored two more in Amsterdam to stretch clear.

Enter Lucas Moura. One of those classic Spurs players who flattered to deceive, Moura scored an incredible hat-trick with the final goal coming in the sixth minute of injury time.

Club legend Glenn Hoddle had suffered a heart attack less than a year before this match. In the BT Sport studio, he remarked how glad he was to have seen it and everyone starting welling up.

5. Roma vs. Barcelona (2018)

Barcelona looked to have this quarter-final tie sewn up in the first leg after Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez added to own goals from Daniele de Rossi and Kostas Manolas.

But Edin Dzeko’s consolation in Spain proved to be crucial as Roma won the second leg by an improbable scoreline of 3-0.

Dzeko put Roma ahead after just six minutes, before a De Rossi penalty and a Manolas header atoned for their Nou Camp mistakes.

The one downside is that Peter Drury’s commentary of Manolas’ clincher went viral and now he’s assaulting our ears on a weekly basis.

4. Deportivo vs. AC Milan (2004)

The most glorious and life-affirming comeback of all? Probably.

3. Man Utd vs. Bayern Munich (1999)

One-nil down as the clock ticked into injury-time, Manchester United had played well within themselves on the biggest stage of all.

Mario Basler’s early goal had given Bayern a lead they’d sat on comfortably all match. Then a corner was taken, Peter Schmeichel’s presence in the box caused mayhem and Teddy Sheringham poked home.

Extra-time beckoned, but United were in the zone. Minutes later, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had won it, Bayern players collapsed to the floor in despair and football had probably peaked.

2. Liverpool vs. AC Milan (2005)

Milan started like a greyhound out of the traps, an early Paolo Maldini strike giving the Italians the lead. Brazilian attacking midfielder Kaka then turned on the style and by half-time, he had set up two goals for Hernan Crespo to give Milan a seemingly comfortable 3-0 margin.

But Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez made a big change at the break, bringing on Dietmar Hamann and altering Liverpool’s formation. The decision paid off.

The Reds scored three goals in six wild second-half minutes (Gerrard, Smicer, Alonso), before winning 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout that became famous for Jerzy Dudek’s theatrics.

Istanbul has never seen a bigger miracle before or since.

1. Barcelona vs. PSG (2017)

The greatest comeback of all is so iconic that it has its very own title in France and Spain – La Remontada.

PSG took a 4-0 lead to the second leg of this last 16 clash in Spain, only for Luis Suarez to open the scoring for Barcelona in three minutes. Game on.

Barcelona were two goals up at half-time after Layvin Kurzawa’s own goal and Lionel Messi scored a penalty to make it three.

Then, a plot twist. Edinson Cavani hit back to silence Camp Nou, although PSG seemed to go into their shells thereafter.

Needing three goals with two minutes of normal time left, Neymar stepped up to the plate in a way he’d never do again.

The Brazilian scored a free-kick and penalty, before a gorgeous chipped pass found Sergi Roberto to incredibly make it 6-1.

Barcelona became the only team to overturn a foul-goal Champions League deficit. Phowar.