It may still feel like it was only yesterday, but Liverpool's unforgettable Champions League semi-final triumph against Chelsea is now almost 17 years old.
There may have only been one goal - and I use that definition generously - across the two legs, but anyone who personally witnessed the second leg at Anfield on May 3, 2005 will recall not only one of the Merseyside club's greatest triumphs, but an atmosphere perhaps unrivalled by any other in the ground since the abolition of the standing terrace.
Without question, there was definitely something in the air hours before kick-off, creating a buzz across the surrounding areas of the stadium that eventually festered into a relentless wall of noise when it came together for the Reds' biggest match in 20 years. For many fans it was a real shot at European greatness which, up until that point, had been the reserve of older supporters who still dined out on stories about the all-conquering sides of the 70s and the 80s. This was our time and we were ready to throw ourselves into it at full throttle.
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Since then, Liverpool have appeared in four Champions League finals - winning two and losing two - and four more semi-finals, winning all but one. They have also reached two Europa League semi-finals in that time and one final. In footballing terms they are European royalty.
The Reds' defeat at the hands of Sevilla in the 2015/16 Europa League final after being a goal to the good was considered by many to be the catalyst of success under Jurgen Klopp that has produced wonders ever since. Champions League finalists in 2018, winners in 2019, Premier League champions for the first time in 30 years in 2020, the ever-present prospect of success has helped turn Klopp's pressing machine into serial winners. Sometimes you have to lose first to win.
But with that comes heightened expectations and this is where complacency can be devastating. Victims of their own success, Liverpool continue the pursuit of three major trophies with another already being polished in the cabinet. After completing seven games out of nine in a mad April, Klopp's side are in the final of the FA Cup, a point behind Manchester City in the Premier League and on the cusp of a third European Cup final in five years.
Such European pedigree makes the Anfield club overwhelming favourites to overcome Spanish side Villarreal and set up a romantic date in Paris with either 13-times champions Real Madrid or Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
But before supporters start scouring travel apps for hotel deals and plotting a route across the English channel to France, a word of caution must be sounded. The Reds are due to play Newcastle United in a 12.30pm kick off on Saturday at St James' Park. It is a match against a much-improved side under Eddie Howe, who Liverpool dare not drop points against if they are to force City into a slip that can see a 20th league title head to Anfield next month, keeping hopes of an improbable quadruple still alive.
Villarreal are currently seventh in La Liga with little hope of qualifying for next year's Champions League unless they win this year's competition. But the merest suggestion that Klopp should consider resting any key players with half an eye on Newcastle should be consigned to the dustbin, where it belongs.
The Spanish side's manager, Unai Emery, stands alone in terms of his own achievements on the European stage. Not only was it he who led Sevilla to victory against Klopp's Reds in that 2016 Europa League final, but it was the third season on the run that he had steered the Andalusian club to ultimate success in UEFA's second most important club competition.
A stroke of good fortune? You must be joking. After achieving a French domestic silverware treble with Paris Saint-Germain in 2017/18, Emery took Arsenal to the 2018/19 Europa League final, where they were beaten by Chelsea. But he was back to gathering trophies last year with Villarreal.
Manchester United were expected to beat the Spaniards in the 2020/21 Europa League final, but ended up with egg on their face as Emery saw his current team collect their first ever European title with an 11-10 penalty shoot-out triumph against the Red Devils. Emery is the king of two-legged football and only a Klopp tactical masterclass and a high level of energy and quality is going to remove Villarreal - the conquerors of Bayern Munich and Juventus - from this year's competition.
But if the threat of Emery and Villarreal is a genuine one for Klopp and his players, the same warning must be fired to supporters. In Liverpool's five previous Champions League semi-finals since 2005, Liverpool have never been such overwhelming favourites to progress to the final.
Familiarity breeds contempt. With so many huge matches this month, one against an opponent perhaps deemed by some to be inferior to the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and maybe even Benfica could psychologically impair the usually fervent approach to this match. Three semi-finals in five years also dilutes the uniqueness of the occasion but that must not be allowed to affect what needs to be a cauldron of an Anfield atmosphere that can frighten the wits out of Villarreal.
Competing for multiple trophies in the back end of April is tiring, but the end game is in sight and if the quadruple dream is to last the course of May, there is no option but to only worry about the next match before turning attentions to the one after it.
Every great side plays in the image of their manager and in Klopp Liverpool are blessed with not only strategic talent and experience but the energy and heart to follow the job through to the end. His phenomenal conducting of the Kop's power after the Merseyside derby fires a warning that he is at the peak of his powers and Anfield must do the business one more time on Wednesday evening, while the goods times are here.
