Gerrard and the top 10 CL group games ever played

The group stages have become a procession, some reckon, with English teams barely having to break sweat to reach the last 16.

But the group stages have also been witness to some of the most breathtaking games in football history, with dramatic comebacks, goalfests and last-minute winners aplenty.

MirrorFootball presents the definitive list of the 10 finest Champions League group matches ever played.

10) Manchester United 3-2 Juventus (October 1, 1997)

It took just 20 seconds of this Champions League classic for Alessandro Del Piero to silence the Old Trafford faithful with the opening goal for Juve. But Teddy Sheringham got them right back into the game with a header on 38 minutes. In the second half, Didier Deschamps got himself sent off, shortly before Nicky Butt put United in front. Ryan Giggs made sure of victory with a rocket shot in the 89th minute, before Zidane grabbed a measure of consolation with a stunning free-kick in the last minute.

9) Arsenal 3-2 Shakhtar Donetsk (September 20, 2000)

Martin Keown emerged as an unlikely goalscoring hero for the Gunners in this dramatic Champions League clash at Highbury. Alexey Bakharev had given Shakhtar a rather fortunate lead on 26 minutes, and a clinical finish from Andrii Vorobyey three minutes later made it 2-0. Sylvain Wiltord narrowed the deficit at the end of the first half, but Arsenal were still trailing 2-1 with five minutes to go, when Keown managed to chest the ball over the line. The big defender scored again in stoppage time, with a cool finish befitting a lifelong striker, to seal a memorable comeback.

8) Basel 3-3 Liverpool (November 12, 2002)

Liverpool needed a victory from their last group game to book their place in the last 16, but got off to the worst possible start when Julio Hernan Rossi scored after just two minutes. And the task got even tougher as goals from Christian Eduardo Gimenez and Thimothee Atouba gave the Swiss team a 3-0 lead at half-time. Facing an Alp to climb, the Reds rallied in the second half, as Danny Murphy and Vladimir Smicer got them back into the game, and Michael Owen made it 3-3 in the 85th minute. The Reds piled on the pressure in a nail-chewing last five minutes, but just couldn't grab the goal they needed.

7) Monaco 8-3 Deportivo La Coruna (November 5, 2003)

Didier Deschamps' Monaco thrashed Deportivo 8-3 in the highest-scoring match in Champions League history. Croatian striker Dado Prso became only the third player since the competition was relaunched in 1992 to score four goals in a single game. In the European gambling capital, Deportivo had lost their shirts long before half-time, trailing 5-2 at the interval, before Monaco added another three in the second half.

6) Feyenoord 2-3 Newcastle (November 13, 2002)

Newcastle looked set to crash straight out of the Champions League after losing their first three games of the 2002-03 campaign. But victories over Juventus and Dynamo Kiev earned them a lifeline, ensuring they needed a win from their last match, away to Feyenoord, to seal a place in the last 16. And the Magpies seemed poised to get the three points they needed, thanks to goals from Craig Bellamy and Hugo Viana. But in the second half, they let the Dutch side back into the game through goals from Mariano Bombardo and Anthony Lurling, and were heading out of the competition until Bellamy netted a precious winner deep into injury time

5) Werder Bremen 5-3 Anderlecht (December 8, 1993)

Werder Bremen pulled off the greatest comeback in Champions League history in a game that became known as 'The Miracle on the Weser', in reference to the river that runs through Bremen. The Belgian champions had taken what looked to be an unassailable lead in the first half, with two goals from Danny Boffin and one from Philippe Albert. But despite trailing 3-0 with just 24 minutes left, Bremen came back from the dead, with goals from Kiwi Wynton Rufer, Rune Bratseth and Bernd Hobsch hauling them level, before Marco Bode gave them an unlikely lead with seven minutes to go. Rufer added a fifth in the 89th minute just to twist the knife.

4) Manchester United 6-2 Fenerbahce (September 28, 2004)

This stunning performance was all about just one man. Or one boy, because Wayne Rooney was still only 18 years old when he made his Manchester United debut against Fenerbahce in September 2004, following his transfer from Everton. He took just 17 minutes to score his first Champions League goal, thanks to a precision pass from Ruud van Nistelrooy, and 11 minutes later, he rifled in his second from 20 yards out. He bagged the match ball early in the second half with a brilliant free-kick that curled past Fenerbahce keeper Rustu. Ryan Giggs, Van Nistelrooy and David Bellion also got on the scoresheet, but this match will long be remembered as the night that a European star was born.

3) Inter Milan 1-5 Arsenal (November 25, 2003)

Inter's starting XI boasted the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Christian Vieri and Javier Zanetti, but the Nerazzurri were ripped apart on their own home turf by a superb display of attacking football from Arsenal. Thierry Henry fired them in front on 25 minutes, but Vieri equalised eight minutes later. The Gunners found top gear after the interval, however, taking the lead through Freddie Ljungberg. Five minutes from time, Henry netted a stunning goal after running from inside his own half, before Edu and Robert Pires sealed a memorable victory.

2) Newcastle 3-2 Barcelona (September 17, 1997)

Faustino Asprilla will always be fondly remembered on Tyneside for his amazing hat-trick on an electric night at St James' Park. The fur coat-sporting Colombian playboy ran the show, firing the Geordies in front from a penalty after being brought down in the box, and made it 2-0 with a powerful header eight minutes later. He completed his treble after the interval with another header, celebrating with his trademark somersault in front of a delirious crowd. Luis Enrique and Luis Figo pulled two goals back for Barca late on, but Newcastle held on to seal an unforgettable win and ensure there'll always be a bottle of Newcy Brown waiting for Faustino on Tyneside.

1) Liverpool 3-1 Olympiakos (December 8, 2004)

Following an erratic start to their campaign, the Reds had to beat the Greek champions by a 1-0 scoreline or by two clear goals in their last match to reach the last 16. But that looked like mission impossible after Brazilian veteran Rivaldo put Olympiakos in front on 26 minutes. Liverpool's half-time substitute Florent Sinama-Pongolle made an immediate impact, scoring seconds after entering the pitch, and he made a second for Neil Mellor with nine minutes left. But, with just four minutes left on the clock, it was Kop idol Steven Gerrard who scored the priceless goal, lashing the ball into the net in front of the Kop. "Ya beauty!" as Andy Gray had it.