Before Liverpool won their fifth European Cup after playing out one of the most unforgettable football matches in living memory, there were more mediocre matches under Rafael Benitez.
In fact, overcoming a star-studded AC Milan side - whether they were given a three goal head start or not - would have been regarded as the talk of a lunatic by anyone who was at Turf Moor on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 to witness the Reds' FA Cup Third Round match against Championship side Burnley.
Fielding a notably inexperienced side, Benitez was about to discover how underestimating the opposition in English football was seldom a good idea. However the nature of a shock 1-0 win for the Clarets was even more baffling.
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The only goal of the game arrived in the 51st minute when Richard Chaplow played a speculative low cross into the Liverpool penalty area. Seemingly under very little pressure, French defender Djimi Traore showed spectators why fancy skills are often the reserve of attacking players, by executing a incredible drag-back that pulled the ball into his own net.
In what was a miserable performance that also saw Antonio Nunez sent off for elbowing Tony Grant late on, the Reds exited the world's oldest knockout competition at the first time of asking. How they went on to to become Champions League winners just four months later is one of the club's great stories.
But what became of the 'Burnley XI' who got dumped out of the FA Cup on a cold wet night in the Lancashire town? We've taken a check on the culprits.
Jersey Dudek
After writing his name into Anfield folklore by having the game of his life against Milan in Istanbul, to help lift Liverpool's fifth European Cup, the Pole eventually left Merseyside in 2007, as he didn't want to play second fiddle to Pepe Reina, only to take exactly the same role behind Iker Casillas at Real Madrid. Dudek only made two first team appearances for Los Blancos over four seasons. After making 60 international appearances, he retired and is now an ambassador for a Sports betting company in his native Poland.
David Raven
West Kirby-born Raven left Liverpool in 2006 and made over 100 appearances for both Carlisle United and Inverness Caledonian Thistle either side of shorter spells with Shrewsbury Town and Tranmere Rovers. He is currently assistant manager of Warrington Town.
Sami Hyypia
Regarded as one the finest centre-backs in the club's history. The big Finn made 464 appearances in a Red shirt, before joining Bayer Leverkusen in 2009. He then moved into management, coaching Leverkusen, Brighton and FC Zurich. His last job in football was two years ago when he was assistant manager of Finnish side FC Haka, but left after three months.
Zak Whitbread
Whitbread was born in Houston, Texas but spent most of his life growing up in Runcorn. His appearance against Burnley was one of only seven in total for Liverpool, which didn't include any Premier League appearances. He now runs Perform Sports Management, a player management agency.
Djimi Traore
Despite his Burnley nightmare, Traore played a key roll in the Reds' Champions League run and played in the final. Late on in his career he moved to the USA and played for Seattle Sounders. He would go on to manage that side but left his role in August 2021. He is now a coach at the Ghanaian Football Academy 'Right to Dream'.
Antonio Nunez
The Spaniard only made 18 appearances for Liverpool before heading back to La Liga to join Celta Vigo. He spent a large period of his career playing in Spain's second division and eventually retired in 2018. It is not clear what he is doing for work currently.
Igor Biscan
The no-nonsense midfielder was an unsung hero of Liverpool's road to Istanbul but did not figure in the final itself. That signalled the end of his Anfield career, so the big Croat then moved to Greek side Panathinaikos, before returning to home town club Dinamo Zagreb. He is now manager of the Croatia national under 21 team.
John Welsh
Wavertree-born Welsh was with the Reds from the age of 10 but only made 10 first team appearances. He left for Hull City on loan in the summer of 2005, before turning it into a permanent deal. He eventually enjoyed a sustained spell at Tranmere Rovers and then Preston North End, making over 300 appearances combined for the two clubs. He retired from football in October 2021 to focus on other work commitments.
Darren Potter
Another Liverpool youth academy product, midfielder Potter made 10 first team appearances for the Reds in the 2004-05 season, including two in the Premier League. But with the likes of Steve Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Didi Hamann to contend with, opportunities were limited and he eventually went on loan to Southampton in January 2006 before moving to Wolves in 2007. Hailing from the Scotland Road area of Liverpool, he went on to make over 200 appearances from MK Dons and had a brief spell with Tranmere Rovers in 2019. He retired from football in November 2020 to take a coaching role at Port Vale.
Stephen Warnock
Brought to Liverpool's academy by Alan Kennedy, left-back Warnock overcame three leg breaks before making it into Liverpool's first team. He spent three seasons at Anfield, making 67 appearances and scoring one goal. After leaving the club in January 2007, he went on to enjoy stints with Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa, earning himself two England caps. Warnock is now a football media pundit, appearing regularly on the BBC, BT Sport and American channel NBC.
Florent Sinama-Pongolle
Brought to England by Gerard Houllier at the age of 16, along with Anthony Le Tallec, the pair had risen to stardom as part of France's triumphant U17 World Cup winning squad. He would score against Olympiacos in Liverpool's famous come-from-behind Champions League Group Stage victory that set them on their way to Istanbul, but after an injury, did not make the squad for the final. After a loan spell with Blackburn Rovers, he left Anfield for good in 2006, and headed for Spain. Retiring in 2019, he is now a television pundit for Canal+ in France.
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