Xabi Alonso has admitted Liverpool used their underdogs reputation as motivation on their way to Champions League glory in 2005.
The Reds famously fought back from three goals down at half-time in Istanbul against AC Milan, with second half strikes from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Alonso helping take the game to extra time.
Goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek then became the hero on penalties as Liverpool defied the odds, completing arguably the greatest European comeback of all-time.
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Looking back on this historic triumph, Alonso has claimed that the Reds began to believe that the unthinkable was possible.
"Half-time came at the right time because we needed to refresh," he told FedEx.
"We couldn't waste that chance so easily to give away that wonderful chance to play in a UEFA Champions League final. That's why something happened at half-time. Rafa made some changes, but we started to think that the least we could do was fight. And that's football - sometimes miracles happen. That night was an unbelievable miracle.
"It was unforgettable and, luckily, we got the trophy."
Liverpool, coached by Rafa Benitez at the time, also overcame Chelsea and Juventus at the quarter-final and semi-final stage prior to reaching the 2005 showpiece fixture.
A fifth-placed league finish during that season highlighted how Benitez's side were not at the top of their game, though Alonso has revealed that the team embraced the fact that the expectation to win was often placed on their European opponents.
"On the road to Istanbul, at the beginning of the competition, we weren't even contenders," said the Spaniard.
"We weren't expected to reach the final. Along the way we played Juventus and Chelsea and we started to feel we were competing very well against the top teams.
"Once we got to the final, we knew that we had a great chance to make history.
"It was my first big final, I was just 22 and everything was really new to me. It was my first year at Liverpool, and winning the Champions League was a huge step in my career. From that moment, everything started getting better."
