A look back at 4 of Liverpool's best wins against Italian opposition

Liverpool have had a mixed history against Italian opposition. Thursday's Europa League Quarterfinal First Leg against Atalanta will be the 36th such match in their history. They have only managed to win 14 of the previous encounters.

However, despite this rough record, the Reds have still orchestrated some memorable wins over the years against their Italian counterparts.

We rounded up four of the best for a nice trip down memory lane in the hopes Liverpool can keep adding to this list starting with Atalanta.

April 24, 2018 - Liverpool 5 Roma 2 - Champions League SF 1st Leg

We begin our list with one of the most recent matchups against an Italian giant, AS Roma. These two met in the 2018 Champions League Semifinals and the first leg took place at Anfield.

As it happens, this was another rocking European night as Liverpool raced out to a 5-0 lead after 68 minutes before conceding two late goals.

A Mohamed Salah brace and Roberto Firmino brace sandwiched a Sadio Mane goal as the Reds were rampant. Liverpool's starting midfield consisted of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

This victory would later be followed by a chaotic second leg that saw the final aggregate 7-6 in favor of Liverpool. Most shocking of all perhaps, Alisson was in goal....for Roma!!

April 5, 2005 - Liverpool 2 Juventus 1 - Champions League QF 1st Leg

I think we all know what match is still to come on this list, however, before they got there, Liverpool needed to get past the iconic Italian club Juventus.

Liverpool would jump out to a 2-0 lead behind goals from Luis Garcia and Sami Hyypia. The defensive pairing of Hyypia and Jamie Carragher proved to be too sturdy for the likes of Alessandro Del Piero and Co. to break.

A goal just past the hour mark by the legendary Fabio Cannavaro proved to merely be a consolation prize for the visitors.

For context, Xabi Alonso was an unused substitute in the victory as Steven Gerrard and Igor Biscan controlled the midfield in this one.

Feb 15, 2001 - Liverpool 2 Roma 0 - UEFA Cup Round of 16 1st Leg

Roma makes another appearance on this list as Liverpool and the Roman outfit have clashed a number of times in European competitions over the years.

This one saw Liverpool in the midst of a treble chase while Roma were hunting down a double. While Roma would go on to win the Serie A title this season, they were felled by the Reds here.

In this first leg, club legends Steven Gerrard and Francesco Totti did not play for their respective sides. Instead, it was Michael Owen making his first start in 5 weeks that bagged a brace in this one.

Fabio Capello's Roma side could not control any aspect of the game as the midfield was dominated by Dietmar Hamann and Gary McAllister. It was a well-rounded effort that saw Liverpool go into the Italian capital and secure a famous victory on their way to winning the trophy a few months later.

May 25, 2005 - Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3 (3-2 on Pens) - Champions League Final

Of course this makes the list. This might be the most famous win overall in the history of the club let alone against Italian opposition.

We all know the story of this match as AC Milan soared to a 3-0 lead and things looked like they were truly done and dusted.

However, coming out of the second half Liverpool played with a renewed vigor. An immaculate header from Gerrard gave hope before a Vladimir Smicer long range effort snuck in. Xabi Alonso would smash his saved penalty rebound home for 3-3 and the rest is history.

This match truly epitomizes everything that is special about this football club and I still get goosebumps even today.