It was thanks in part to an ingenious swing of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s wand of a right boot that Liverpool beat Barcelona on arguably Anfield’s greatest ever night.
But now, seven years on, the defender finds himself needing a similarly miraculous comeback of his own if he is to salvage his career at Real Madrid.
Used only as a last-minute substitute in El Clasico at the weekend, Alexander-Arnold has now started just four of 11 games so far this season for a total of 345 minutes.
He has also found himself behind not just Denzel Dumfries in the right-back pecking order, but midfielder Federico Valverde.
And with Jose Mourinho unlikely to soften his stance on making the necessary compromises to field an offensively unique but defensively flawed player on the right-hand side of his defence, the writing appears to be on the wall.
Consequently, a discussion around Trent’s future has already begun, and he has inevitably been linked with an emotional return to Anfield.
That is not entirely out of the question given he did not burn all his bridges in leaving Liverpool, who wished him well in statements relating to his departure, even if there was internal disappointment.
But there have been contrasting reactions within a fanbase split between those still hurt by that decision and those who would support the return of the prodigal son regardless.
Former Reds defender Jamie Carragher has landed in the latter camp, recently telling The Overlap: “I’d have him back, even though I gave him plenty of stick.
“I think he made a mistake, I do, and he probably knows that now. He made a big mistake.
“But, as I said, if something benefits Liverpool Football Club going forward, and when you think of the problems Liverpool have in terms of the right-backs…
“Ronnie [Araujo]’s been fantastic, but we do have a problem in terms of full-backs passing. We’ve definitely missed [Alexander-Arnold]’s creativity.”
However, if Liverpool’s recruitment staff were to agree, it would be because they have made a call uninfluenced by the emotion that drives many supporters.
And in truth, even parking any bitterness over his exit, it is hard to see how a return for Alexander-Arnold would be a sensible move.
For starters, the number of injury problems suffered by the defender in recent years has to be a major consideration.
Alexander-Arnold made his professional debut at 18, had clocked up his 100th appearance for Liverpool by 21, and was an ever-present during a lengthy period that saw them play an incredibly intense brand of football under Jurgen Klopp.
And, having suffered five separate muscle issues across the last two seasons, he is starting to look a lot like those many early bloomers beset by injuries in the latter years of their careers.
