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Liverpool's Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid last night has extended Wanderers fans' hold on bragging rights as the only English team to beat the Spaniards in European knock-out competition.
The Reds failed to make their much-vaunted home advantage count at Anfield as they failed to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg against Los Colchoneros as the 'Mattress Makers' progressed to the quarter-finals with a 4-2 aggregate win.
Jurgen Klopp's men will undoubtedly be crowned Premier League winners at some stage this season, while Wanderers are facing an almost-inevitable drop into League Two, but Boltonians will point to their side's two-legged success against Atletico in the UEFA Cup 2008, and they remain the only English team to taste success against them.
Since 1991, Atletico have eliminated Manchester United in the 1991/92 Cup Winners' Cup, Leicester City and Aston Villa in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup, Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals in 2014 and Arsenal in the 2017/18 Europa League semi-finals (en route to their third victory in the competition). Atletico's first Europa League title came with victory over Fulham in the 2010 final, having knocked out Liverpool in the semis.
And this week's elimination of the Reds leaves Wanderers as the only English side to enjoy knock-out stage success against Atletico, over two memorable nights for Bolton. Gary Megson's side were 1-0 winners in the first leg on home turf, courtesy of El Hadji Diouf's goal, moments after now-Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero was sent off for spitting. And a goalless draw at the Vicente Calderón Stadium a week later saw the Whites through.
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The Reds failed to make their much-vaunted home advantage count at Anfield as they failed to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first leg against Los Colchoneros as the 'Mattress Makers' progressed to the quarter-finals with a 4-2 aggregate win.
Jurgen Klopp's men will undoubtedly be crowned Premier League winners at some stage this season, while Wanderers are facing an almost-inevitable drop into League Two, but Boltonians will point to their side's two-legged success against Atletico in the UEFA Cup 2008, and they remain the only English team to taste success against them.
Since 1991, Atletico have eliminated Manchester United in the 1991/92 Cup Winners' Cup, Leicester City and Aston Villa in the 1997/98 UEFA Cup, Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals in 2014 and Arsenal in the 2017/18 Europa League semi-finals (en route to their third victory in the competition). Atletico's first Europa League title came with victory over Fulham in the 2010 final, having knocked out Liverpool in the semis.
And this week's elimination of the Reds leaves Wanderers as the only English side to enjoy knock-out stage success against Atletico, over two memorable nights for Bolton. Gary Megson's side were 1-0 winners in the first leg on home turf, courtesy of El Hadji Diouf's goal, moments after now-Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero was sent off for spitting. And a goalless draw at the Vicente Calderón Stadium a week later saw the Whites through.
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